Harika Dronavalli (India) became the first finalist of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship after defeating Katerina Lagno (Russia)  in a very close nail-biting match 14:13.

The opponents were going neck-by-neck after the first 5+1 segment, but in the next 3+1 portion, Harika grabbed the one-point lead, which she extended to three points at the start of the 1+1 section.  Katerina did not give up and levelled the score after game 20.

The grandmasters exchanged heavy blows on the final stretch, but neither of them could tip the balance into his favour, and it came down to a tiebreaker.

The first three games of the tiebreaker were drawn, but Harika prevailed in the final one to clinch her spot in the final. It is worth mentioning that the Indian GM won her second tiebreaker in the event.

“It was a very tough match that could have gone either way any moment. I am just happy that it worked out for me today,” said the happy finalist after the match.

Harika is taking on the winner of the second all-Chinese semifinal match Hou Yifan vs. Lei Tingjie that will be played on June 2. 

The FIDE Chess.com 2021 Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for titled female players. The qualifiers for the event took place from May 28-June 6, while the main event runs from June 10 to July 3. Players are battling for their share of a total prize fund of $66,000.

Fans can follow the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship by watching the live broadcast with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com’s Twitch channel. They will also be able to enjoy the event through Chess.com’s Events page (https://www.chess.com/events).

More info and a full schedule of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.