Magnus Magic in Kolkata: Carlsen completes the double in spectacular fashion

By Sandy Verma On Nov 18, 2024

Kolkata KolkataWorld number one Magnus Carlsen completed a spectacular double at the Tata Steel Chess India tournament on Sunday, clinching the Blitz title with one round to spare. Just days after clinching the rapid title, the 33-year-old Norwegian master produced a stellar performance, including a dramatic comeback against Indian prodigy Arjun Erigaisi in the final round, taking him to an unbeaten 12 points. Carlsen finished the tournament on a high note, defeating Vidit Gujarati in the final round to take the blitz crown with three consecutive wins and a total of 13 points. This is their second double win in Kolkata, repeating their 2019 win. Filipino-American Grandmaster Wesley So made a strong comeback by winning six consecutive games and seven of his last eight games to finish second with 11.5 points.

Reflecting on his performance, Carlsen said, “It was a really stressful day. I was lucky that Wesley was the one who kept going because he couldn't catch me. Overall, it was a good tournament win. Score Not great, but pretty good, so I'm happy.” Carlsen also revealed his next plans, saying, “I'm going to Singapore in a few hours to promote freestyle chess with Fabiano Caruana. I'll be playing matches with Fabi in a few days. It should be fun, and some It would be exciting to be a tourist at the World Championships for days.” The Indian contingent performed brilliantly, with Erigaysi (10.5 points) finishing third, followed by R Praggnanand (9.5) fourth and Vidit Gujarathi (9) fifth. In the women's category, three-time Women's World Blitz Champion Kateryna Lagno of Russia emerged victorious with 11.5 points, narrowly beating compatriot Valentina Gunina, who finished second with 11 points. Alexandra Goryachkina and India's Vantika Agarwal shared third place with 9.5 points.