Magnus Carlsen wins blitz event at Total Chess pilot in Budapest
Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali secured victories over Wesley So and Hans Niemann during the opening nine-round blitz tournament.
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen won the nine-round blitz competition unbeaten at the inaugural Total Chess pilot in Budapest, according to reports by The Times of India and ThePrint. The Norwegian finished with seven points out of nine to take the lead in the event. French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave placed second with 6.5 points, while Levon Aronian took third with six points.
Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali, one of two women in the 24-player field, recorded wins against world No. 6 Wesley So and world No. 36 Hans Niemann. Although she struggled to maintain momentum in later rounds, she finished the tournament with four points out of nine. Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva is the other woman competing in the event.
Arjun Erigaisi was the highest-placed Indian, finishing in a five-way tie for fourth place with 5.5 points. Erigaisi, who shared the position with Alireza Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana, Hans Niemann, and Richard Rapport, secured notable wins against Vachier-Lagrave and Caruana before losing to Aronian in the final round. R Praggnanandhaa finished with 4.5 points.
The blitz standings carry strategic importance, as they will act as tiebreakers during the group stage and influence knockout pairings and colour choices. The competition moves to a Fast Classic format on Wednesday, where 24 players are divided into four groups. Only the winners of each group will progress to the main knockout bracket.
In the Fast Classic stage, Vaishali and Assaubayeva will compete in Group D alongside Erigaisi, So, Niemann, and Vachier-Lagrave. The $650,000 event serves as a pilot for a proposed new world tour.