Savitha bags bronze in World Rapid Chess

ALMATY (KAZAKHSTAN): Fifteen-year-old Indian WIM B Savitha Shri on Wednesday bagged the bronze medal in the women’s event of FIDE World Rapid Championship here.

Seeded 36th in a star-studded field, Savitha finished with an impressive tally of eight points from 11 rounds and completed the podium. The teenager, who had earned 6.5 points at the conclusion of the eighth round, picked up 1.5 points to end the tournament on a high.

A loss to Kazakhstan’s Zhansaya Abdumalik in the ninth round hurt Savitha’s chances of a top-two finish. She bounced back by beating Qianyun Gong of Singapore in Round 10 and then drew with Dinara Saduakassova from Kazakhstan in the final round.

India’s top player Koneru Humpy, who had come back into medal contention after a modest performance on day two, had to settle for sixth place with eight points.

Though Savitha, Humpy and two others ended on eight points, the teenager took bronze on the basis of a superior tie-break score. Savitha had shone bright on Tuesday, posting four consecutive victories. Tan Zhongyi of China won the title, defeating Dinara in play-off.