Magnus Magic in Kolkata: Carlsen completes double in style

PTI, Nov 17, 2024, 7:03 PM IST

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Kolkata: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen completed a remarkable double at the Tata Steel Chess India tournament, clinching the blitz title with a round to spare here on Sunday.

Just days after securing the rapid title, the 33-year-old Norwegian maestro produced a scintillating performance, including a dramatic turnaround against Indian prodigy Arjun Erigaisi in the penultimate round, to reach an unassailable 12 points.

Carlsen capped off the tournament in style, defeating Vidit Gujrathi in the final round to finish with three consecutive wins and a total of 13 points to claim the blitz crown.

This marks his second double victory in Kolkata, replicating his triumph from 2019.

Filipino-American Grandmaster Wesley So staged a phenomenal comeback, winning six straight games and seven of his last eight, to secure second place with 11.5 points.

Reflecting on his performance, Carlsen said, “It was a really, really nervy day. I was lucky that Wesley was the one who went on a big streak because he couldn’t realistically catch me. Overall, the tournament win is good. The score is not great but very decent, so I’m happy.”

Carlsen also revealed his next plans, saying, “I’m heading to Singapore in a few hours to promote Freestyle Chess with Fabiano Caruana. I’ll be playing a match with Fabi in a few days. It should be fun, and being a tourist at the World Championship for a couple of days will be exciting.”

The Indian contingent performed admirably, with Erigaisi (10.5 points) claiming third place, followed by R Praggnanandhaa (9.5) in fourth, and Vidit Gujrathi (9) in fifth.

In the women’s section, three-time Women’s World Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno of Russia emerged victorious with 11.5 points, narrowly edging out compatriot Valentina Gunina, who finished second with 11 points.

Aleksandra Goryachkina and India’s Vantika Agrawal shared third place with 9.5 points each.