Runner-up in the World Cup R Praggnanandhaa was the best Indian, finishing third overall, while world champion Alexander Grischuk reigned supreme to win the Tata Steel Chess India 2023 Open Blitz title here on Saturday.
Praggnanandhaa remained unbeaten in fou🏅r games, but losses to Nodirbek Abdusattorov (13th round), Grischuk (15th), and Vidit Gujrathi (16th) proved expensive.
Erigaisi was the second-best Indi🍌an, finishing fourth overall with 10 and a half points.
D Gukesh, India's No. 1, finished ninth after six defeats in nine rounds on the final day, including one against his close🦹st opponent Praggnanandhaa in the penultimate round.
However, he♔ recovered brilliantly, winning against Praggnanandhaa and German prodigy Vincent K⛄eymer to end on top with 12 points, with a swift draw against Pentala Harikrishna in the final and 18th round.
Grischuk, the two-time global blitz champion, suffered the tournament's sole 💖defeat in the 13th round when he was surprised by rising Indian Arjun Eriga꧅isi.
Former world Rapid champion Abdusattorov concluded with three points with Praggnanandhaa, but the Uzbek edged the Indian phenom🍎 on tiebreaks thanks to a massive win over Gujrathi.
P🦂raggnanandh💃aa started the day on a high note, outwitting Rapid section runner-up Teimour Radjabov with a brilliant offensive game.
He held Rapid champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the 11th round before🍨 winning the next round against Keymer.
Abdusattorov ended the Indians' four-game unbeaten streak in the 13th round, which also saw Erigaisi pull off the d🐲ay's biggesꦕt upset.
Grischuk defeated Praggnanandhaa with the black pieces in round 15, while ꦺthe In൲dian was stunned in the last round when he lost a key encounter against fellowmate Gujrathi to fall to third place.
The winners:
Women's
Rapid: 1. Divya Deshmukh, 2. Ju Wenjun; Blitz: 1. Ju Wenjun, 2. Koneru Humpy
Open
Rapid: 1. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, 2. Teimour Radjabov; Blitz: 1. Alexander Grischuk, 2. Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
(With PTI inputs)
