World Rapid Chess: Savithashri wins bronze; becomes only the third Indian to earn podium

Woman International Master (WIM) Savithashri, on Wednesday, bagged the bronze medal for India at the 2022 Women's World Rapid Chess Championships. The 15-year-old became scored 8/11 to finish on the podium.

Hailing from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Savithashri entered the final day of the championship in a joint lead with China's Zhongyi Tan and Aleksandra Goryachkina at 6.5 points after 8 rounds.

With a historic medal in sight, Savitha had the worst possible start in the final day as she lost her first game to GM Abdumalik Zhansaya with the black pieces.

The youngster, however, quickly got her act together and registered a win with black against Gong Qianyun in the penultimate round before holding IM Dinara for a draw with the white pieces in the final round to all but seal the medal.

With this win, Savithashri also became only the third Indian in history to win a medal at the World Rapid Chess Championships. The other Indians to have won a medal in the global event includes GM Viswanathan Anand and GM Koneru Humpy.

Enroute her bronze medal, Savithashri defeated two GMs whlist also holding Indian GM Harika Dronavalli to a draw.

Among the other Indians in action in the women's section, Koneru Humpy finished sixth with 8 points while Tania Sachdev slotted 50th with 5.5 points. Harika and Padmini Rout were placed 39th and 38th respectively with 6 points apiece.