Tata Steel Chess India 2026: Carissa edges Vantika to win women’s blitz title

American Carissa Yip held her nerve to win the tie-break 1.5-0.5 against India’s Vantika Agrawal to claim the women’s blitz title in the Tata Steel Chess India 2026 at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium here on Sunday.
Earlier, Yip’s compatriot Wesley So won the open event without much drama, sewing up the title with a round to spare. He finished with 12 points while Nihal Sarin, the rapid champion, was second with 11 points, ahead of Arjun Erigaisi (11).
It was a topsy-turvy day as Yip let slip the chance of winning the top prize by beating Divya Deshmukh in the 18th and final round, only being able to eke out a draw. Vantika, meanwhile, surged to the joint top spot, notching up four straight wins in the home stretch. Both Yip and Vantika scored 10.5 points, while Greece’s Stavroula Tsolakidou, with 10, was a clear third.
In the tie-break, the 22-year-old American took the first game with black pieces and kept Vantika at bay in the second to emerge triumphant.
So played in a solid manner to walk away with the trophy. He remained unbeaten till the final round, where he was outmanoeuvred by R. Praggnanandhaa, but it didn’t matter much in the end.
Indian legend Viswanathan Anand, after an impressive second-place finish in the rapid event, failed to reproduce the magic and was eighth in the blitz.
Nihal suffered two defeats on the day, which hurt his chances of catching So, while Arjun Erigaisi, after a dream start – winning all his first five games – couldn’t sustain the pace and slipped up in the title race.