IM Vaishali R edged out GM Harika Dronavalli in a very close quarterfinal match and advanced to the semifinals of the FIDE Chess.com 2022 Women's Speed Chess Championship.

 Vaishali won the first 5+1 segment by a minimal margin, but Harika did the same in the next portion of the match. The opponents entered the 1+1 stage with 8.5-8.5 on the scoreboard.

Vaishali pulled away with just a few minutes on the match clock heading to the final game with a one-point lead. With her back against the wall, Harika had to win the game to send the match into a tiebreaker and came very close. She achieved an overwhelming position but, in a drastic turn of events, blundered a checkmate in one.

In her post-match interview, Vaishali talked about playing alongside Dronavalli for team India at the upcoming Olympiad:

"It will be my first over-the-board Olympiad, and I am very grateful for the event. Harika will also be playing. She is one of my biggest inspirations, actually. Playing alongside her will be very interesting."

The next quarterfinals match, GM Hou Yifan vs GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, begins on Thursday, July 28, at 3:30 a.m. Pacific / 12:30 Central European.

To follow the FIDE Chess.com Women's Speed Chess Championship, watch a live broadcast of the event with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com Twitch Channel. 

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