As many had expected, five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen clinched the title in the Open category’s Rapid competition at the ongoing sixth edition of the Tata Steel Chess India (TSCI) Rapid & Blitz tournament in Kolkata. Young Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa finished as the runner-up.
In the women's category, Russian grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkina took home the title, finishing first with 7 points. Georgian grandmaster Nana Dzagnidze secured second place with a total of 5.5 points, while Indian grandmaster Vantika Agrawal became the second runner-up.
Following an uncharacteristically slow start on the opening day, Carlsen staged an impressive comeback, winning five consecutive rounds over Thursday and Friday. At the end of nine rounds, the 33-year-old Norwegian led the Rapid standings with 7.5 points, while Pragganandhaa finished with 5.5 points.
Carlsen, the overnight topper, began the day with a slim 0.5-point lead over Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov. However, the world number one secured an unassailable lead by winning his first two rounds of the day against German grandmaster Vincent Keymer and Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov.
In contrast, Nodirbek faced setbacks, losing his seventh and eighth rounds. His final match in the Rapid competition was a draw against Carlsen. Ultimately, Nodirbek finished in fourth place with 5 points.
Wesley So, who started the day in third place, defeated Nodirbek before drawing with Praggnanandhaa. In the final round, he shared a point with Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin. As a result, he was tied with Pragganandhaa at 5.5 points. But the Indian’s superior tie-break score pushed Wesley to third place.
Notably, Praggnanandha delivered a remarkable comeback over Thursday and Friday after ending the first day with just 1 point in eighth place. On the third day, he began with a win against fellow Indian grandmaster SL Narayanan, followed by a draw with Wesley.
In his final round, the 19-year-old secured a victory against another talented young Indian grandmaster, Arjun Erigaisi, climbing to second place in the standings. However, aside from Praggnanandhaa, the other three Indian players in the Open category finished at the bottom of the table.
In the Women’s category, Goryachkina held onto the lead she established on the first day. India’s Agrawal, who started the day in third place, missed a valuable chance to secure the runner-up position.
She drew her match against Russian grandmaster Kateryna Lagno and then defeated fellow Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy in the eighth round. Meanwhile, Dzagnidze lost to Russian grandmaster Valentina Gunina in the same round, bringing her level with Agrawal. However, while the Georgian managed a draw in her final match, the 22-year-old Indian suffered a loss, finishing in third place.