The World Chess Blitz Championship is heating up with exciting matchups in New York, USA. In the women’s category, India’s R Vaishali will compete for the trophy in knockout, while the open category will see a much-anticipated quarterfinal between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann. Volodar Murzin has also entered the fray, facing compatriot Ian Nepomniachtchi in what promises to be a tough match. Additionally, fans can look forward to Jan-Krzysztof Duda versus Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja taking on Wesley So.
On Monday night, Vaishali drew attention following her impressive score of 9.5/11 in the qualification rounds, she is unbeaten till now in the tournament. She is the only Indian remaining in the competition and will face China’s Zhu Jiner in the quarterfinals. Earlier, India’s top contenders, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi were eliminated from the tournament, as they couldn’t finish in the top 8 after playing 13 rounds of games, falling short.
When is the World Chess Blitz Championship Knockouts?
The tournament is being held on Wall Street, New York. It will start at 2 PM on December 31st, according to US time. In India, it will begin at 12:30 AM IST on January 1st. For Indian fans, matches will run until 4 PM, with the final on the same day.
World Chess Blitz Championship Schedule
- 12:30 AM: Quarterfinals
- 2:00 AM: Semifinals
- 3:30 AM: Final
- *Timings are in IST
World Chess Blitz Championship live streaming?
Fans can watch the World Rapid and Blitz Championship matches on FIDE’s social media platforms (YouTube, Twitch) and Chess.com’s social media platforms (YouTube, Twitch).
Women’s World Blitz Championship 2024-25 Top 8
| Rank | Player | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Vaishali Rameshbabu | India | 9.5/11 |
| 2 | GM Lei Tingjie | China | 8.5/11 |
| 3 | GM Kateryna Lagno | Russia | 8/11 |
| 4 | GM Valentina Gunina | Russia | 8/11 |
| 5 | GM Ju Wenjun | China | 8/11 |
| 6 | IM Carissa Yip | USA | 8/11 |
| 7 | IM Bibisara Assaubayeva | Kazakhstan | 8/11 |
| 8 | GM Zhu Jiner | China | 8/11 |
Players qualified for World Blitz Championship 2024, Open Category Knockouts
| Rank | Player | Country | Rating | Points/Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Ian Nepomniachtchi | Russia | 2770 | 9.5/13 |
| 2 | GM Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 2890 | 9.5/13 |
| 3 | GM Fabiano Caruana | USA | 2796 | 9.5/13 |
| 4 | GM Wesley So | USA | 2803 | 9.5/13 |
| 5 | GM Alireza Firouzja | France | 2871 | 9.5/13 |
| 6 | GM Hans Moke Niemann | USA | 2709 | 9.5/13 |
| 7 | GM Daniil Dubov | Russia | 2784 | 9.5/13 |
| 8 | GM Volodar Murzin | Russia | 2629 | 9.5/13 |
