Tata Steel Chess: Magnus Carlsen wins title, R Praggnanandhaa finishes runner-up

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway delivered a flawless performance on the final day to clinch the title, while India’s R Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up in the Open section of the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid Tournament. 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 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 wins against Divya Deshmukh and Valentina Gunina. Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze secured the 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.

Gukesh ‘favourite’ vs Ding

Carlsen feels that on current form Indian star D Gukesh is the favourite to win the World Chess Championship title against Ding Liren of China in the summit clash beginning later this month. The championship will be held in Singapore from November 25 to December 15.

The 18-year-old Indian made it to the summit clash after emerging triumphant in the Candidates Tournament, held in Toronto earlier this year. “I’m not going to have anything particularly unique to say about the match. Based on the current form, Gukesh is a significant favourite,” Carlsen said. “Based on peak chess ability, I think it’s quite even. So, if Ding can regain that form, he has a good chance. Also, Gukesh was quite vulnerable in the last tournament that he played. But all that aside, if I were to predict at this point, I’d go with the guy who’s played by far the best chess of these two players over the last couple of years, which is Gukesh.”

However, Carlsen warned that since it would be the Indian’s maiden World Championship, his primary test would be how to absorb the pressure. “Each World Championship has its rhythm. It’s something he hasn’t experienced before, so I think he might take some time getting into it,” he said.