Magnus Carlsen and Aleksandra Goryachkina emerged as champions at the World Rapid Chess Championship on Sunday, while India celebrated bronze medals from Arjun Erigaisi in the open section and Koneru Humpy in the women’s section.
Carlsen dominated the open event, finishing with 10.5 points, one ahead of Russia’s Vladislav Artemiev. Erigaisi scored 9.5 points to secure third place. Aravindh Chithambaram followed as the next best Indian at 16th with 8.5 points. Nihal Sarin finished 19th, just ahead of reigning World Classical Champion D. Gukesh, while R. Praggnanandhaa placed 28th.
In the women’s section, defending champion Koneru Humpy tied for first with 8.5 points, alongside Aleksandra Goryachkina and Zhu Jiner. However, superior tie-break scores pushed Goryachkina and Zhu into the playoff, where Goryachkina triumphed to claim gold. Humpy settled for bronze despite her strong showing.
India’s B. Savitha Shri delivered a remarkable performance, finishing fourth after starting as the 67th seed. R. Vaishali secured fifth place, Divya Deshmukh came eighth, and D. Harika ended 19th.
The tournament highlighted India’s growing presence in world chess, with multiple players finishing in the top 20. Players now look ahead to the World Blitz Championship, where they will aim to improve their standings and continue their momentum.
