Magnus Carlsen again showed why he remains the World’s No.1 chess player. The Norwegian completed a remarkable double at the Tata Steel Chess India tournament. On Sunday, he clinched the blitz title with a round to spare in Kolkata. He won after beating GM Arjun Erigaisi in the penultimate round. The maestro produced a scintillating performance. Including a dramatic turnaround against Indian prodigy Arjun Erigaisi.
In the penultimate round, to reach an unassailable 12 points and win the silverware. Magnus Carlsen finished the tournament in style, defeating Vidit Gujrathi in the last round to win the blitz championship with three consecutive wins and a total of 13 points. This is his second double victory in Kolkata, following his triumph in 2019. Indian players performed admirably, with Erigaisi taking third place.
Erigasi finished with 10.5 points, and R Praggnanandhaa finished fourth, with 9.5 and Vidit Gujrathi rounded out the top five with 9 points. Carlsen displayed his usual brilliance in a full Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, with hundreds of admirers clamouring for seats. The Norwegian won the blitz title with one round to spare, finishing 1.5 points ahead of second-placed Wesley So.
Magnus Carlsen overshadows local talents
The latter trailed by 0.5 points after 15 rounds. He produced a spectacular recovery, winning six consecutive games and seven of his last eight, to finish second with 11.5 points. Has Carlsen Made Chess Boring by Being Too Dominant? Magnus Carlsen after the double title said, It was a 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. 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.
