Tata Steel blitz is one of the prestigious chess tournaments for the top-level grandmasters in both the Open and women's sections. It is usually the tournament that opens the year, and this year's edition was from the atmosphere of Kolkata, where the American chess players, Wesley So and Carissa Yip, won the Open and women's sections of the blitz event, respectively. It was a dominating event for Wesley So with one round to spare, when he won it, while Carissa Yip had to defeat Vantika in the tie-break match.

For the event, it was an exciting one to watch because it was a blitz and there would be a lot of blunders, exciting plays, and a show of perseverance. For Wesley, that was his story, persevering over various players to keep it going for him in the event. It was interesting to see how well he played, and I was not surprised to see him prevail in blitz. I have watched Wesley's games for a while, as he has been playing for a long time. I remember how he used to talk about leaving classes at Webster University to go play blitz with his friends. He is a formidable player, and even among other chess players of his peer, he has been regarded as one who is hard to beat.

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While the other American player, Carissa Yip, is a soon-to-be grandmaster, but currently an International master. She has won the US chess championship a couple of times, and through the US chess tournament, I got to know her, and she was one to give a fight. Watching her games, especially the first tiebreak game against Vantika, where she was nothing but solid. She played well with the Sicilian dragon setup, and when it was time to give the final blow, she did it well by taking the game into the endgame, where it was easy for her to get the win. She was fast, and what was more impressive was how she kept playing strong moves while sending less time on the clock. She has a strong mental toughness for the game despite the setbacks she experienced while playing the main blitz event.

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The win of this tournament for both players is an addition to the wins for the American Chess Federation, and it was admirable to see Wesley watch Carissa's game when she was playing in the tiebreak match. A true show of teamwork. Playing chess at this level can be filled with challenges, and being paired against your peers in a blitz tournament is not one that is easy to win. You have to be consistent and let the losses go when you are about to start a new game.

I did not have much to learn from the games I watched, but the little I grabbed, I could tell it takes a lot of practice to get to this level of play. Another thing I admired is the venue. It was super nice where there is a sitting room for the audience while the players play in the showroom. It was like coming to watch a showroom to watch a work of art in a showroom, and this time it was chess. Congratulations to Wesley So and Carissa Yip. Chess is beautiful when you watch people play.

_{I am @samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.}

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