Tata Steel Chess | So ends Arjuns bull run, leads the standings; Carissa on top

Arjun Erigaisi was like a man in a hurry as he made a storming start to the blitz event in the Tata Steel Chess India 2026 at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium here on Saturday, winning five games on the bounce. Among his victims were Nihal Sarin and the legendary Viswanathan Anand.

As all good things must come to an end, Arjun’s bull run was stopped by American Wesley So in the sixth round, after which the Indian managed only one victory to end the day on 6.5 points.

So leads the standings after nine rounds with seven points, having begun with a loss to Vidit Gujrathi. Arjun is in second place while Nihal, the rapid event winner, is third with 5.5 points, followed by Anand and Vidit on five points.

Anand kept himself in the hunt despite a bumpy start, losing three of his initial five games before recovering to register 3.5 points in rounds six to nine.

So’s compatriot Carissa Yip jumped to the lead in the women’s section (six points), despite defeats to Greece’s Stavroula Tsolakidou and Vantika Agrawal.

Tsolakidou, Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina and R. Vaishali share the second place with 5.5 points while Vantika is half a point behind.

Vaishali started well, beating Nana Dzagnidze before losing her way. She, however, finished strongly, stringing together three wins on the trot.

Vantika was unbeaten for six rounds before two defeats — to Tsolakidou and Rakshitta Ravi — hurt her chances.

The results: Blitz: Open: First round: Arjun Erigaisi bt Volodar Murzin; Viswanathan Anand drew with Wei Yi; Wesley So lost to Vidit Gujrathi; Hans Niemann bt R. Praggnanandhaa; Nihal Sarin drew with Aravindh Chithambaram.

Second round: Aravindh bt Praggnanandhaa; Murzin lost to So; Wei lost to Arjun; Nihal bt Anand; Vidit drew with Niemann.

Third round: Niemann lost to Murzin; Praggnanandhaa bt Vidit; Anand bt Aravindh; So drew with Wei; Arjun bt Nihal.

Fourth round: Anand lost to Arjun; Nihal lost to So; Wei drew with Niemann; Murzin drew with Praggnanandhaa; Aravindh lost to Vidit.

Fifth round: Niemann lost to Nihal; Arjun bt Aravindh; Vidit bt Murzin; So bt Anand; Praggnanandhaa drew with Wei.

Sixth round: Wei drew with Vidit; Anand bt Niemann; Sarin bt Praggnanandhaa; Aravindh lost to Murzin; Arjun lost to So.

Seventh round: So bt Aravindh; Murzin lost to Wei; Niemann drew with Arjun; Vidit bt Nihal; Praggnanandhaa drew with Anand.

Eighth round: Anand bt Vidit; Arjun lost to Praggnanandhaa; Nihal bt Murzin; Aravindh lost to Wei; So bt Niemann.

Ninth round: Wei lost to Nihal; Niemann bt Aravindh; Praggnanandhaa drew with So; Vidit lost to Arjun; Murzin lost to Anand.

Women: First round: Divya Deshmukh bt Stavroula Tsolakidou; Aleksandra Goryachkina drew with Vantika Agrawal; D. Harika lost to Carissa Yip; R. Vaishali bt Nana Dzagnidze; Katernya Lagno lost to Rakshitta Ravi.

Second round: Rakshitta lost to Dzagnidze; Tsolakidou bt Harika; Vantika bt Divya; Lagno drew with Goryachkina; Yip bt Vaishali.

Third round: Vaishali drew with Tsolakidou; Dzagnidze lost to Yip; Goryachkina bt Rakshitta; Harika drew with Vantika; Divya lost to Lagno.

Fourth round: Goryachkina bt Divya; Lagno lost to Harika; Vantika bt Vaishali; Tsolakidou lost to Dzagnidze; Rakshitta lost to Yip.

Fifth round: Vaishali bt Lagno; Divya bt Rakshitta; Yip lost to Tsolakidou; Harika drew with Goryachkina; Dzagnidze drew with Vantika.

Sixth round: Vantika bt Yip; Goryachkina bt Vaishali; Lagno bt Dzagnidze; Rakshitta lost to Tsolakidou; Divya bt Harika.

Seventh round: Harika bt Rakshitta; Tsolakidou bt Vantika; Vaishali bt Divya; Yip bt Lagno; Dzagnidze drew with Goryachkina.

Eighth round: Goryachkina drew with Yip; Divya bt Dzagnidze; Lagno bt Tsolakidou; Rakshitta bt Vantika; Harika lost to Vaishali.

Ninth round: Lagno drew with Vantika; Vaishali beat Rakshitta; Dzagnidze lost to Harika; Yip drew with Divya; Tsolakidou bt Goryachkina.