Tata Steel Chess: Anand, Niemann in joint lead after three rounds of Rapid

Kolkata, Jan 7 (PTI) Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand showed he remains a force to reckon with in a field increasingly dominated by youngsters, notching up two wins to emerge joint leader with 2.5 points after three rounds of the Rapid games on the opening day of the Tata Steel Chess India here on Wednesday.

The 56-year-old Anand, who is returning to the tournament after six years, defeated the highly-rated American Grandmaster Wesley So by putting him in serious time trouble in the opening round to earn a full point.

He then split the point with China's Wei Yi before beating country-mate Aravindh Chithambaram in round three.

Anand is sharing the lead with American GM Hans Niemann, who overcame former World Rapid champion Volodar Murzin in the opening round, drew with India's Vidit Gujrathi and then beat young R. Praggnanandhaa, who got into a time crunch to lose the match.

In a classic game between two of India's top players, Gujrathi made a strong statement with the black pieces, dominating Arjun Erigaisi -- the double bronze medallist at the World Rapid and Blitz championships in Doha recently -- to seal the win with a rare knight-and-bishop checkmate.

The second round saw Praggnanandhaa control both wings before breaking through on the kingside to defeat Erigaisi.

However it was Anand, the Blitz champion here six year back, who held centrestage.

In round three, the player-cum-administrator once again showed his class, using clever rook play to defeat Aravindh with black.

In the women's section, American International Master (IM) Carissa Yip emerged as the sole leader with 2.5 points out of three.

Among the Indian players, Vantika Agrawal was impressive, scoring two out of three points and standing as the top performer from the country. She showed excellent endgame technique in round one, converting a material advantage to defeat R. Vaishali.

The event began with a dramatic 114-move marathon draw between Dronavalli Harika and Women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh.

Round two featured three decisive games, highlighted by Stavroula Tsolakidou’s victory over Divya in a complex struggle. Kateryna Lagno outplayed Vantika in a knight versus bishop endgame, while Aleksandra Goryachkina took advantage of an exposed king to score her first win against Vaishali.

In Round 3, Carissa claimed the lead by calmly converting an early exchange advantage against Goryachkina. Nana Dzagnidze prevailed in a dramatic queen endgame against Tsolakidou, while Vantika capped the day with an aggressive win over Harika.

Standings (Dayy 1) Open category (Indians unless mentioned): 2.5 points - Viswanathan Anand, Hans Niemann (USA). 2 points: Wesley So (USA), Vidit Gujrathi. 1.5 points: Nihal Sarin, R Praggnnanandhaa. 1 point: Wei Yi (Chn), Arjun Erigaisi. 0.5 points: Aravindh Chithambaram, Volodar Murzin (Rus).

Women: 2.5 points: Carissa Yip (USA). 2 points: Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), Kateryna Lagno (Rus), Vantika Agarwal. 1.5 points: Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus), Rakshitta Ravi. 1 point: D Harika, Stavroula Tsolakidou (Gre), Divya Deshmukh. 0.5 points: R Vaishali. PTI AM AM ATK