CHENNAI: GM
D Harika
lived up to her top billing by clinching the women's title at the
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss event
which concluded in
Isle of Man
on Monday night. Heading into the final round, Harika and Russian
Alina Kashlinskaya
were in the lead with 5 points each. While Harika drew her final game against Matthias Bluebaum to finish on 5.5 points, Alina lost to
Rinat Jumabayev
. However, Kazakhstan's Dinara Saduakassova won her final game to finish on par with Harika (5.5 points) but the latter was declared the winner of the category on better tie-break scores.
Her sturdy performance in the tournament earned Harika 23 points and took her ELO rating to 2518. To top that, Harika's rankings too will see a surge - from 13th currently to 9th in the world.
"All the games that I played were against higher-rated opponents and to have done well in the competition is immensely satisfying," Harika told TOI. However, the 28-year-old had to overcome a few off-board obstacles during the course of the competition. She was left with little time to prepare as her last competition - the FIDE women's Grand Prix tournament in Russia on September 22 - had drained her.
"I became aware of the women's Grand Prix at the last moment," Harika said. Not only did it upset her preparations for the Isle of Man, she also became unwell during the event. "I was having headaches each day and couldn't give my best at the Grand Prix," she added. To top that, her laptop was giving her a few problems when she arrived at Isle of Man. "I had ordered for a new laptop but it had not reached by the time I left for Isle of Man. So, I was making use of an old system," she revealed.
From having a rating of 2471 in January, Harika has gone on to accrue 47 more points. While Harika has certainly worked hard on her game, giving due weightage to physical fitness too has played its part in her rise. "From April-May this year, I began concentrating on being physically fit. Hitting the gym for a minimum of half an hour daily has made me fitter during the long games and long tournaments," she said. Her daily routine in the gym came to her rescue during her 7-hour long battle against Ferenc Berkes in round 1 at Isle of Man. Harika will next feature in the Monaco edition of the women's Grand Prix in December.
Wang Hao qualifies for Candidates: Chinese GM Wang Hao beat WL David Howell to win the Chess.com Grand Swiss event with 8 points from 11 rounds. The victory helped Hao qualify for the Candidates. Fabiano Caruana too finished on 8 points after drawing his final round against Hikaru Nakamura but Hao edged out the World No. 2 in tie-break.
Start a Conversation
Post comment