Chess World Cup: 23-year-old Indian Vantika Agrawal stuns former world champion, pockets Rs 5.8 lakh so far
Indian International Master (IM) Vantika Agrawal, 23 advanced to the third round of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia, after defeating former world champion Anna Ushenina of Ukraine in a thrilling tie-breaker match with a score of 4.5-3.5 on Friday.
The second-round match between Vantika and Ushenina went into tie-breakers after both players won one Classical game each. Vantika won the first Rapid tie-breaker but lost the second, ultimately securing victory in the Blitz section by winning the first game and drawing the second.
"Just relaxed," Vantika told FIDE after reaching the next round. "In the Classical section, I won the first match. In the second game, I was much better, but somehow, in the time crunch, I ended up losing.
Again, in the 10 + 10 I got the lead with the black and drawing with white should not have been a difficult task, but yeah, then scores got levelled and I won in the blitz section."
Poll
Would you like to see more coverage of women's chess tournaments?
Definitely
Maybe
Not really
Not at all
"In the earlier games, the mistake I made was that I was thinking a draw was enough, but here I was thinking I just had to play well. I was not thinking about the result. I think that kind of helped me a lot," Vantika explained about her winning strategy.
The Indian has secured prize money of $6,750 (approx. Rs 5.8 lakh) for reaching Round 3, where she will face former World Rapid and three-time World Blitz Women's champion GM Kateryna Lagno of Russia.
International Master Padmini Rout was eliminated after losing to former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland in Round 2. Women's International Master Priyanka K also exited the tournament following losses in both Rapid tie-break games against Poland's Klaudia Kulon.
Four other Indian players have already progressed to the third round of the tournament. Koneru Humpy will face Klaudia Kulon of Poland, while D Harika will play against Greece's Stavroula Tsolakidou.
R Vaishali is set to compete against Carrisa Yip of the United States, and Divya Deshmukh will take on Serbia's Teodora Injac in their respective third-round matches.
For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the
India vs England Test match
here.
Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
11 minutes ago
- NDTV
India's Trailblazing Goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan Announces Retirement From Football
Exactly a decade after becoming the first Indian woman to play professional football in Europe, the trailblazing Aditi Chauhan has decided to announce her retirement from the game after a career spanning 17 years. The former India women's team goalkeeper, 32, now wants to work off the pitch and build a "stronger pathway and ecosystem" for the next generation. "Thank you, football -- for shaping me, testing me, and carrying me through. After 17 unforgettable years, I'm retiring from professional football with deep gratitude and pride," Aditi wrote in a social media post on Thursday. "This game gave me more than just a career; it gave me an identity. From chasing a dream in Delhi to carving out my own path all the way to the UK, where I pursued my Master's in Sports Management and played for West Ham United – I walked a road with no clear map. "I never had to choose between education and passion. I fought hard to do both, and that balance has defined me," she added. During a successful international career, Aditi, who caught everyone's attention after being signed up by West Ham United for the Women's Super League in England, donned the India jersey 57 times and, among others, was part of the senior teams that won the SAFF Women's Championship in 2012, 2016 and 2019. "I gave everything to the game — my focus, my fire, my body — all in pursuit of that No. 1 jersey for India. But behind the highlights were the quiet battles: the fear of the unknown, the pressure to justify that my path was valid, and the persistent question from society - 'How would you possibly make a living playing football?' "And then, the injuries. Coming back not once, but twice from ACL injuries, I believe I set an example for other players that one could overcome anything with mental courage. The pain, the doubt, the silence - it was a battle I had to win from within." She spent two seasons with West Ham before returning to India in early 2018, before joining Gokulam Kerala FC for the 2019-20 Indian Women's League. At the domestic level, Aditi won the Indian Women's League (IWL) title with Gokulam Kerala FC in 2019-20 and 2021-22 besides reaching the semi-finals of the AFC Women's Club Championship and securing a third-place finish. "What I'm most proud of as a professional athlete is the consistency. Across 17 years, I kept coming back — through setbacks, through injuries, through every doubt — and earned the No. 1 spot time and again." "My parents stood by me, picked me up when I needed, pushed me when I slacked a bit. Everything that I am, the things I've been able to achieve have been possible because of my mom, who's quietly just ridden this crazy ride with me and I can't thank god enough for giving her as my mom." In her final season, she played a key role for the newly-promoted Sribhumi FC, helping the Kolkata-based side to a third-place finish in the IWL. As she steps away from the pitch, Aditi said she still has "plenty left in the tank to give to the sport" that made her the person that she is today. "As I now step into life beyond the pitch, I carry that belief with me – not as a player anymore, but as someone committed to building a stronger pathway and ecosystem for the next generation. "My second half is about giving back to the game that gave me everything," Aditi wrote. "The formula remains the same: dream big, believe in yourself, and put in the work," she signed off.
NDTV
11 minutes ago
- NDTV
Yashasvi Jaiswal Looked 'Confused': India Opener Asked 'Not Comfortable' Questions Ahead Of 4th Test team Selection
Yashasvi Jaiswal has the onus and the time to be India next big opener. In 22 Tests, Jaiswal has scored 2031 runs at an average of 50.77. He has already struck five centuries with his highest score being 214*. In the ongoing England vs India Test series, Jaiswal has already scored a century and a half-century. However, in the third Test, he could return with low scores of 13 and 0. Robin Uthappa, member of the India's 2007 T20 World Cup winner, opined that Jaiswal looked confused. "Yashasvi was genuinely just not comfortable from the word go. You know the first ball that he played, you know, it was like that it was a cut short ball and he would have been all over it, under normal circumstances and he just went there and then he like he kind of got stuck for a second and then he was like should I play? Should I not play and then he left it. Right. He's very decisive with his shot selection and that for me was like that doesn't doesn't look like a decent start. You could see through the over that he was confused, so to speak, not clear. Maybe not confused but just not clear as to how he wants to approach it. Because it was only 190 runs, I think he was half and half. It almost seemed like an afterthought, that shot," Uthappa said on his YouTube channel. "He (Nair) left it at the point of delivery. I don't think he watched it coming in an made that decision as the ball came to him. Until that point, that dude was batting solid, man. He is batting so well." Former Sri Lanka opener Kumar Sangakkara was also not impressed with Yashasvi Jaiswal's rusty seven-ball duck during India's pursuit of a 193-run target against England during the third Test at the 'Home of Cricket', Lord's. Jaiswal appeared jaded and struggled to find his rhythm, and eventually lost his wicket to tearaway Jofra Archer. With three slips, short leg and a gully, Archer delivered a sizzling 141kph delivery, banged in short outside off and forced a thick top-edge. The ball ballooned straight into the sky and landed safely into the gloves of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith as Jaiswal returned without troubling the scorers. Even in the first innings, Jaiswal perished against Archer and lost his wicket for 13(8). Sangakkara dissected the youngster's approach and said on Sky Sports, "Watching Jaiswal in the first over that he faced, he didn't look comfortable, he didn't look watchable. He has spent a long time at short leg for India, and he has come out looking a bit jaded."
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
11 minutes ago
- First Post
'Always moaning': Ex-England captain takes cheeky dig at bowlers amid ongoing Dukes ball controversy
The Dukes ball has sparked fresh controversy in the India vs England Test series, with players complaining about its poor quality. Meanwhile, former England skipper has made a cheeky remark on bowlers' complaints, saying they are 'always moaning.' read more The Dukes ball has once again come under heavy scrutiny during the ongoing India vs England Test series, with both sides expressing frustration over its quality. Players from both sides have raised concerns regarding the Dukes ball, suggesting that they go soft and lose shape much earlier than expected. Indian bowlers, in particular, have raised complaints during the series, frequently asking for replacements as the ball lost its hardness within just a few overs. There have been a couple of incidents where players have gotten into arguments with umpires after they refused to change the ball. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Alastair Cook takes a jibe at bowlers Now, former England captain Alastair Cook has made a cheeky comment aimed at the bowlers who are 'always moaning' to get the ball changed. Cook, however, admitted that batters also dislike facing an out-of-shape or soft ball. 'I just love how bowlers are always moaning. It's like they bowl a bad ball and it's never their fault. They've scraped the footmark… If they bowl a bad ball, they look at the ball and blame the shape,' Cook told BBC Sport. 'I think a batsman would much rather hit some slightly harder ball. Nothing worse than playing a lovely cover drive like I used to and it going nowhere,' he added. The controversy surrounding the Dukes ball deepened during the Lord's Test when the ball had to be changed twice in the morning session on Day 3. After a 10-over-old ball was replaced, Indian players remained unhappy with the new one too, leading to yet another change within minutes. Former England captain Nasser Hussain has also criticised the Dukes ball, saying there was a 'serious issue.' Ex-English pacer Stuart Broad also voiced concern regarding the Dukes ball during the third Test. 'The cricket ball should be like a fine wicketkeeper. Barely noticed. We are having to talk about the ball too much because it is such an issue & being changed virtually every innings. Unacceptable. Feels like it's been five years now. Dukes have a problem. They need to fix it. A ball should last 80 overs. Not 10,' Broad wrote on X.
