Swiss bliss: R Vaishali, Vidit Gujrathi win titles, qualify for Candidates

Isle of Man, November 6

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R Vaishali and Vidit Gujrathi clinched the women’s and open category titles, respectively, in the FIDE Grand Swiss in a rare double for India on the world stage, with both players also qualifying for the prestigious Candidates tournament.

While Vaishali played out a draw with Batkhuyag Mungutuul of Mongolia in the 11th and final round to bag the women’s title, Vidit beat Alexandr Predke of Serbia to record his seventh victory in the event and take the top spot in open section.

Both Vaishali and Vidit ended with identical 8.5 points apiece and stayed a half point clear of their nearest rivals. Apart from a place in the Candidates, to be played in April next year in Canada, Vaishali got richer by $25,000, while Vidit took home $80,000. The second place in the women’s section went to Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine. The second woman player to make it to the Candidates was Tan Zhongyi, who finished third. Muzychuk had already made the cut from the World Women’s Cup.

In the open section, Hikaru Nakamura played a rock-solid game to draw as black with India’s Arjun Erigaisi, who ended a creditable fourth and remained unbeaten throughout the event.