Latest news with #VantikaAgrawal
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Chess World Cup: Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh cruise into round of 16
Koneru Humpy (FIDE Photo) In the FIDE Women's World Cup, India's chess stars Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy, the nation's first female GM, have advanced to the last-16 stage through different paths. Divya secured her spot with a draw against Serbia's Teodora Injac, while Humpy earned her place by defeating Poland's Kulon Klaudia. Poll Who do you think has the best chance of winning the FIDE Women's World Cup? Koneru Humpy Divya Deshmukh D. Harika Vantika Agrawal Three other Indian players, D Harika, Vantika Agrawal, and R. Vaishali, still have chances to qualify for the last-16, depending on their tiebreaker performances. Harika remains in contention after two consecutive draws with Greece's Tsolakidou Stavroula. Vantika Agrawal's celebration was cut short when she lost her return game against Russia's Kateryna Lagno, levelling the score after her first-round victory. All three players - Vantika, Harika, and Vaishali - now face challenging tie-break games to secure their spots in the round of 16. The tournament offers substantial prize money of USD 691,250, with the winner receiving USD 50,000. Additionally, the tournament serves as a qualification pathway for the upcoming Candidates tournament, with the top three players earning spots to compete for a chance to challenge the current women's world champion, Ju Wenjun. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Redefine Your Future with a Top Online MBA SRM Online Enquire Now Undo Complete results after Round 2 games: Antoaneta Stefanova (Bul) lost to Lei Tingjie (Chn) 0-2; Zhu Jiner (Chn) beat Aleksandra Maltsveskaya (Pol) 2-0; Irina Bulmaga (Rou) lost to Tan Zhongyi (Chn) 0.5-2.5; Koneru Humpy (Ind) beat Kulon Klaudia (Pol) 1.5-0.5; Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) drew with Yixing Song (Chn) 1-1 goes to tie-break; Vantika Agrawal lost to Kateryna Lagno (Fid) 1-1 goes to tie-break; Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) lost to Valentina Gunina (Fid) 1-1 goes to tie-break; Bella Khotenashvili (Geo) lost to Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) 0-2; D. Harika (Ind) drew with Tsolakidou Stavroula (Gre); Carissa Yip (USA) drew with R Vaishali (Ind) 1-1 goes to tiebreak; Polina Shuvalova (Fid) lost to Lela Javakhashvili (Geo) 0.5-1.5; Teodora Injac (Srb) lost to Divya Deshmukh (Ind) 0.5-1,5; Kaliakhmet Elnaz (Kaz) lost to Umida Polonova (Uzb) 0.5-1.5-0.5; Meri Arabidze (Geo) drew with Alexandra Kosteniuk (Sui) 1-1 goes to tiebreak; Osmak Yuliia (Ukr) beat Lu Miaoyi (Chn) 1.5-0,5; Kamalidenova Meruert (Kaz) beat Anna Shukhman (FID) 1,5-0.5. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
IM Vantika Agrawal stuns former world champion Anna Ushenina in thrilling tiebreak battle at FIDE Women's World Cup
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): In a sensational second-round clash at the FIDE Women's World Cup, India's IM Vantika Agrawal pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far by eliminating former Women's World Champion GM Anna Ushenina. The intense match went the distance, with Vantika emerging victorious 4.5-3.5 after a series of nerve-wracking tiebreaks. Both players were inseparable across the initial rapid playoffs, with the 15+10 and 10+10 segments ending in draws. The tension escalated as the match moved into the 5+3 blitz segment, where Vantika took down Anna. In the first Blitz match, playing with the White pieces, Vantika displayed nerves of steel to edge out Ushenina in a dramatic encounter. She then held her ground with the Black pieces in the second blitz game, securing a crucial draw and clinching the match. It was a high-pressure contest for the young Indian international master, but her composure and resilience shone through against a seasoned Grandmaster and former world champion. With this remarkable victory, Vantika advances to Round 3, where she will face yet another formidable opponent, GM Kateryna Lagno. During the Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary in September, the Indian contingent made history when both men's and women's teams secured gold medals for the first time ever. The Indian women's chess team of Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal, and Tania Sachdev won gold after beating Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5. Harika Dronavalli, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal won their respective matches in the final round. While R Vaishali drew her match against Ulviyya Fataliyeva for the first time, alongside teammates Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agrawal. (ANI)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Chess World Cup: 23-year-old Indian Vantika Agrawal stuns former world champion, pockets Rs 5.8 lakh so far
Vantika Agrawal (FIDE Photo) Indian International Master (IM) Vantika Agrawal, 23 advanced to the third round of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia, after defeating former world champion Anna Ushenina of Ukraine in a thrilling tie-breaker match with a score of 4.5-3.5 on Friday. The second-round match between Vantika and Ushenina went into tie-breakers after both players won one Classical game each. Vantika won the first Rapid tie-breaker but lost the second, ultimately securing victory in the Blitz section by winning the first game and drawing the second. "Just relaxed," Vantika told FIDE after reaching the next round. "In the Classical section, I won the first match. In the second game, I was much better, but somehow, in the time crunch, I ended up losing. Again, in the 10 + 10 I got the lead with the black and drawing with white should not have been a difficult task, but yeah, then scores got levelled and I won in the blitz section." Poll Would you like to see more coverage of women's chess tournaments? Definitely Maybe Not really Not at all "In the earlier games, the mistake I made was that I was thinking a draw was enough, but here I was thinking I just had to play well. I was not thinking about the result. I think that kind of helped me a lot," Vantika explained about her winning strategy. The Indian has secured prize money of $6,750 (approx. Rs 5.8 lakh) for reaching Round 3, where she will face former World Rapid and three-time World Blitz Women's champion GM Kateryna Lagno of Russia. International Master Padmini Rout was eliminated after losing to former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland in Round 2. Women's International Master Priyanka K also exited the tournament following losses in both Rapid tie-break games against Poland's Klaudia Kulon. Four other Indian players have already progressed to the third round of the tournament. Koneru Humpy will face Klaudia Kulon of Poland, while D Harika will play against Greece's Stavroula Tsolakidou. R Vaishali is set to compete against Carrisa Yip of the United States, and Divya Deshmukh will take on Serbia's Teodora Injac in their respective third-round matches. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
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First Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
'Just relaxed': Vantika Agrawal scripts stunning win over former world champion to reach Chess World Cup Round 3
Vantika Agrawal's back was against the wall after she squandered her lead against a former world champion, despite making a winning start to her Round 2 match at the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. However, the Indian chess player staged a stunning comeback. read more Indian International Master Vantika Agrawal stormed into the third round of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Batumi (Georgia) on Friday after beating former world champion Anna Ushenina of Ukraine in a thrilling tie-breaker. Vantika, who hails from Noida, defeated 14th Women's World Champion Ushenina 4.5-3.5 after multiple rounds of tiebreaks. In Round 2, Vantika and Ushenina won one Classical contest each, forcing the match into the tie-breakers. In the Rapid and Blitz tie-breakers, Vantika won the first 10'+10" Rapid match before losing the second. She eventually secured the victory in the Blitz tie-breaker as she won the first 5'+3" Blitz game and drew the next one to clinch the Round 2 match. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Just relaxed,' a super excited Vantika told FIDE after reaching the next round. 'In the Classical section, I won the first match. In the second game, I was much better, but somehow, in the time crunch, I ended up losing. Again, in the 10 + 10 I got the lead with the black and drawing with white should not have been a difficult task, but yeah, then scores got levelled and I won in the blitz section.' Vantika explains comeback win in Women's World Cup Explaining how she scripted a win after squandering the lead in the Classical section, Vantika said: 'In the earlier games, the mistake I made was that I was thinking a draw was enough, but here I was thinking I just had to play well. I was not thinking about the result. I think that kind of helped me a lot.' By reaching Round 3 of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, Vantika has already secured a prize money of $6,750. She will now face the former World Rapid and three-time World Blitz Women's champion GM Kateryna Lagno of Russia in Round 3 of the World Cup. Meanwhile, International Master Padmini Rout lost to Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland, also a former world champion, in Round 2 and exited the tournament. Women's International Master Priyanka K was also dumped out of the World Cup after losing both Rapid tie-break games against Klaudia Kulon of Poland. India's Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh have already advanced to the third round of the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup 2025. Koneru Humpy will take on Klaudia Kulon of Poland in the third round, while D Harika faces Stavroula Tsolakidou of Greece. R Vaishali will be up against Carrisa Yip of the United States and Divya Deshmukh Teodora takes on Injac of Serbia.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
After 8 games over 3 days, Vantika Agrawal stuns ex-women's world champion Anna Ushenina to enter Round 3 of FIDE Women's World Cup
Vantika Agrawal joined four other Indians in the third round of the prestigious FIDE Women's World Cup after vanquishing Anna Ushenina, a former women's world champion, in an edge-of-the-seat encounter that played out for eight games over three days at Georgia's Batumi. After Vantika won the first of the two-game classical encounter on Wednesday, the Ukrainian hit back on Thursday with a win to push the matter into a tiebreak. So both players returned to the board on Friday for tiebreaks, and played out six games before the 23-year-old Vantika, an International Master, was left standing while the one-time occupier of the most prestigious throne in women's chess is on her way back. The FIDE Women's World Cup is an important event on the calendar since it offers three spots to the prestigious 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament. The Women's Candidates is the final stepping stone to decide the challenger to compete against world champion Ju Wenjun. The FIDE World Cup sees head-to-head knockout battles across two games between two players in classical format with each player playing with white pieces once. If the two games cannot determine a winner, players play best-of-two-game tiebreaks. In the tiebreaks, players first play two games in the 15 minutes (+10 seconds increment per move, popularly called 15+10) format. If that also cannot separate the two players, from this point on, the time gets reduced at each two-game interval unless there's a winner. So, if after the 15+10 games, the scores are still level, players play two more games with 10 minutes (+10 seconds increment per move, called 10+10). Then the time trickles down to five minutes + three seconds (5+3). After this point, if players are still deadlocked, the game enters chess' equivalent of a sudden death: a winner-takes-all single game of three minutes + 2 seconds. This 3+2 game will be played until there's a winner. Remarkably, young Vantika was not the only Indian woman duelling a former women's world champion late in the day on Friday. Padmini Rout also had dragged Alexandra Kosteniuk for eight games across all the three formats before her resistance ended and she lost. In the two classical games there were two draws necessitating a two-game tiebreak in the rapid time control. There too, there were two draws, which necessitated two more games. Vantika will join many of her history-making teammates from the Chess Olympiad gold medal winning Indian women's team. Koneru Humpy (who beat Khamdamova Afruza of Uzbekistan 1.5-0.5), Harika Dronavalli (who beat compatriot Nandhidhaa PV 1.5-0.5), Vaishali Rameshbabu (who prevailed by a 2-0 score over Ouellet Maili-Jade of Canada) and Divya Deshmukh (who defeated Mgeladze Kesaria of Georgia 1.5-0.5) also entered the third round, but sans the drama Vantika had to survive to enter the third round. India's Priyanka K was the other Indian to exit in this round besides Nandhidhaa. The event regulations stipulate that the 21 top seeds in the event get a bye and enter the fray in the second round while 86 players square off in the first. The 43 winners of the first round then play in the second round where there are 64 players. This meant that while Vantika's opponent had a bye in the first round, Vantika had battled her way into the second round.
