Tata Steel Chess: Carlsen wins Rapid tournament, Pragg finishes runner-up

KOLKATA: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway delivered a flawless performance on the final day to clinch the title in the Open section, while India’s R Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up at the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid Tournament here on Friday.

In the women’s section, Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina maintained her consistent form to emerge triumphant with 7.5 points.

Carlsen, the overnight leader, defeated Germany’s Vincent Keymer, who celebrated his birthday during the tournament, in the seventh round. The Norwegian followed it up with a victory against Daniil Dubov in the eighth round before concluding with a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the ninth.

With an impressive total of 7.5 points out of 9, Carlsen clinched the title, finishing two points ahead of his nearest competitors.

Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So finished tied on 5.5 points, but the Indian’s superior tie-break score earned him the runner-up position, while So took the third spot.

In the women’s Section, Goryachkina drew against India’s Koneru Humpy in the seventh round, before registering consecutive wins against Divya Deshmukh and Valentina Gunina to secure her place at the top of the podium.

Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze secured the first runner-up position with 5.5 points, while India’s Vantika Agrawal delivered an inspiring performance to claim the second runner-up spot with 5 points.

With the Rapid event concluding on a high note, all eyes are now on the Blitz section of the tournament, where the world’s best players will vie for glory.