Al Ain (UAE), May 11 – Grandmasters Murali Karthikeyan and Padmini Rout emerged as the top Indian performers at the Asian Individual Blitz Chess Championship, both securing commendable fourth-place finishes in their respective categories.
Ivan Zemlyanskiia Clinches Open Title
The open section saw an impressive victory by 15-year-old Grandmaster Ivan Zemlyanskiia, competing under the FIDE flag. Zemlyanskiia dominated the event, finishing with 8 points out of a possible 9, showcasing a powerful run through the blitz rounds.Iran’s 15-year-old talent, Sina Mohaved, followed closely with 7.5 points to claim the second position, while Russia’s Rudik Makarian took third with 7 points, edging out others on tiebreaks.
Murali Karthikeyan secured fourth place with a strong performance, narrowly missing a podium finish. He was followed by fellow Indian player Neelash Saha, who also scored 7 points but had to settle for fifth due to lower tiebreaks.
Notably, former Blitz World Champion Alexander Grischuk, despite his stature and being the top seed, failed to make it to the podium. His wife and fellow top-seeded Grandmaster Kateryna Lagno also fell short in the women's section.
Alua Nurman Triumphs in Women's Blitz
In the women’s category, Kazakhstan’s Alua Nurman emerged victorious, scoring 7.5 points. Russian Grandmaster Valentina Gunina also secured 7.5 points but placed second based on tiebreaks.China’s Yuxin Song took third place ahead of India’s Padmini Rout, who also had an impressive showing but lost out on a podium spot due to tiebreaks, finishing fourth.
Nihal Sarin Skips Blitz Format
One of India’s top blitz specialists, Grandmaster Nihal Sarin, opted out of the blitz segment of the championship.Despite missing medals, both Murali Karthikeyan and Padmini Rout demonstrated consistency and class in the fast-paced format, ending the tournament as the highest-placed Indian contenders.