Magnus Carlsen, the world number one, delivered a faultless performance, defeating S L Narayanan, Wesley So, and Arjun Erigaisi to grab the lead in the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz Tournament in Kolkata on Thursday. Starting the day less than half a point back overnight leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the Norwegian’s flawless performance propelled him to the top of the leaderboard with a dominant five points out of six in the ‘Open’ category. Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina also delivered an excellent performance in the women’s event, securing the single lead after three victories on day two.
Her wins over India’s Vantika Agrawal and R. Vaishali were followed by a victory over Kateryna Lagno, bringing her total to five points. Carlsen is followed by former National Rapid champ Abdusattorov, who has a value of points. The Uzbek prodigy held his own in rounds 4 and 5, drawing with Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi, and finishing the day with a win over Narayanan, establishing himself as Carlsen’s key opponent moving into the final day.
In the women’s component, Georgian Masters Nana Dzagnidze trails Aleksandra by four points. Dzagnidze’s excellent day comprised victories over Vaishali along with Koneru Humpy, and it also included a hard-fought tie against The young lady Lagno India’s D.
Standings: (Open) Magnus Carlsen 5, Nodirbek Abdusattorov 4.5, Wesley So 3.5, Daniel Dubov and R. Praggnanandhaa 3; SL Subramanian and Vincent Keymer 2.5; Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, and Vidit Gujrathi 2.
Women: Catherine Goryachkina 5; Nana Dzagnidze 4; Vantika Agarwal, D Harika, Valeria Gunina 3.5; she Lagno 3; Divya Deshmukh 2.5; Koneru Humpy, Alex Kosteniuk 2; and R Vaishali 1.