Outside the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, a large crowd gathered, eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of Magnus Carlsen. Inside, the great man had just finished his press conference after winning the Rapid event at the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz Tournament.
Questions were asked about the upcoming FIDE World Championship, where D Gukesh will challenge defending champion Ding Liren for the title. Carlsen tilted slightly towards the Indian teenager.
“On current form, Gukesh has the edge,” said the five-time world champion. “As for the quality of chess and skill levels, it’s fifty-fifty. But if I have to make a prediction, I will go with the player who has been very consistent over the last two years. Then again, contrary to what some people think, the World Championship (battle) is not going to be a foregone conclusion.”
Will Carlsen be interested if a match is arranged between him and the eventual world champion? “Classical chess, the long form, no longer interests me,” said the Norwegian grandmaster.
He spoke about the era of Bobby Fischer, when chess didn’t have even the “five per cent” of modern day’s innovations. But it was a time when the sport was “more exciting”.
Coming back to the ongoing tournament, Carlsen and Aleksandra Goryachkina attested their dominance, as they claimed the Rapid titles in the Open and Women’s sections, respectively.
Carlsen delivered a flawless performance on the final day of the Rapid event. The overnight leader defeated Vincent Keymer in the seventh round and 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 a total of 7.5 points out of 9, Carlsen clinched the title, finishing two points ahead of his nearest competitors.
India’s R Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So finished tied on 5.5 points, but Praggnanandhaa’s superior tie-break score earned him the first runner-up position.
In the Women’s section, Goryachkina maintained her consistent form to emerge victorious with 7.5 points. A draw against India’s Koneru Humpy in the seventh round was followed by consecutive wins against Divya Deshmukh and Valentina Gunina, securing the title.
Attention now turns towards the Blitz event that commences on Saturday.
Final Standings (Rapid)
Open Section:
1. Magnus Carlsen (7.5)
2. R. Praggnanandhaa (5.5)
3. Wesley So (5.5)
4. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (5)
5. Vincent Keymer (4.5)
6. Nihal Sarin (4)
7. Daniil Dubov (3.5)
8. Arjun Erigaisi (3.5)
9. Vidit Gujrathi (3)
10. S.L. Narayanan (3)
Women’s Section:
1. Aleksandra Goryachkina (7.5)
2. Nana Dzagnidze (5.5)
3. Vantika Agrawal (5)
4. Kateryna Lagno (4.5)
5. Harika Dronavalli (4.5)
6. Valentina Gunina (4.5)
7. Divya Deshmukh (3.5)
8. Vaishali Rameshbabu (3.5)
9. Alexandra Kosteniuk (3.5)
10. Koneru Humpy (3)