Sister Vaishali follows in Pragg's footsteps, wins WR Women's Chess Tour in Tokyo

Mumbai, June 6 (IANS) A few hours after Grandmaster (GM) Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa made history by becoming the first Indian to win the Norway Chess title, his sister R Vaishali finished on the podium by claiming the title in the first event of the WR Women's Chess Tour in Tokyo, Japan. 

Vaishali, the World Championship Challenger, shone bright in the eight-player rapid event with a time control of 15 minutes with a 10-second increment after every move.

Vaishali finished ahead of Russians Alexandra Kosteniuk and Kateryna Lagno and Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria, Women's World Champion from 2004 to 2006. The other players in the fray were Anna Sargsyan, Irine Sukandar, Alua Nurman, and Azumi Sakai.

Vaishali, the 24-year-old from Chennai, showed her class in the event by defeating IM Alua Nurman of Kazakhstan in the final, winning 1.5-0.5 in the two-game match-up. Vaishali had reached the final by beating former Women's World Champion Kosteniuk by the same 1.5-0.5 margin. In the quarterfinal, Vaishali had defeated IM Irene Sukanar, winning one game and drawing another for a 1.5-0.5 verdict.

Having won the rapid title, Vaishali will be looking to do a double by winning the blitz event, which starts on Sunday.

A few hours before that, Praggnanandhaa on Friday night scripted the greatest ever comeback in a Super Turnament to become the first Indian to win the title in the Norway Chess championship, beating Germany's Vincent Keymer in the 10th and final round of the classical chess event. 

With this win, the 20-year-old from Chennai claimed the top prize of $100,000.

Playing with white pieces, Pragg capitalised on some mistakes by Keymar in the middle-game to win on the 45th move to finish the tournament with 18 points from five wins, two losses, and two draws, both of which he won in the Armageddon game. 

The former World No.4 finished a point ahead of overnight leader Wesley So of the United States, who drew with Alireza Firouzja in the final round and thus ended with 17 points from two wins and eight draws, winning six of them in Armageddon. Wesley So bagged 1.5 points to one by Firouzja in the 10th round.

--IANS

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