Fifteen-Year-Old Makes India Proud at the World Rapid Chess Championship

Indian Woman International Master (WIM) Savitha Shri B shone at the  World Rapid Chess Championship ahead of many fancied players. She won the bronze medal in the women's division of the FIDE World Rapid Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan on December 28.  The fifteen-year-old, who was seeded 36th, finished in third place with an astonishing total of eight points from 11 rounds. Savitha is only the third Indian to achieve this feat after Vishwanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy. In a star-studded field, Savitha had 6.5 points after the eighth round and increased by 1.5 points to finish the game on a high. Her chances of finishing in the top two positions were hampered by a loss to Kazakhstan's Zhansaya Abdumalik in the ninth round. She bounced back by defeating Singaporean Qianyun Gong in the tenth round, and in the decisive round, she drew with Dinara Saduakassova of Kazakhstan. Humpy, a gold medalist from the Asian Games and one of the best athletes in the nation, scored eight points but had to settle for sixth place despite being back in medal contention after a lackluster showing on day two. Savitha, Humpy, and two other competitors all finished with eight points, but the fifteen-year-old secured bronze thanks to a higher tie-break score.