Tata Steel Chess 2024: Carlsen, Goryachkina dominate as they win rapid tournament with round to spare

R. Praggnanandhaa staged a remarkable come-from-behind fightback to finish second.

Magnus Carlsen plays Daniel Dubov in the 8th round of the rapid in the 6th edition of Tata Steel Chess India. | Photo Credit: The Hindu/DEBASISH BHADURI

How do you stop Magnus Carlsen?

The simple answer: You can’t. The more complex one: You try, fail, and ultimately concede.

This was the story for nine of the world’s top players as the Norwegian maestro obliterated the competition to win the rapid event of the Tata Steel Chess India 2024 with a round to spare at a jam-packed Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium here on Friday.

Carlsen, the overnight leader, began the day with his usual restless energy — leaving the board on three different occasions during his match against Vincent Keymer to observe other games, even with the shorter time control.

However, even this distraction wasn’t enough to throw him off, as he piled on the pressure on the German prodigy to secure his fifth consecutive win on the bounce. 

In the next round, Daniil Dubov — who had seven solid draws to his name until then — succumbed to Carlsen in a clash of creative geniuses. With his sixth straight win, Carlsen clinched the rapid title with a round to spare.

Helping Carlsen’s case were Arjun Erigaisi and Wesley So, who handed the in-form Nodirbek Abdusattorov back-to-back losses in the first two rounds of the day, effectively dashing the Uzbek prodigy’s hopes of catching the Norwegian.

R. Praggnanandhaa staged a remarkable come-from-behind fightback to finish second. Wins against Arjun and S.L. Narayanan, along with a draw against Wesley, took Praggnanandhaa to 5.5 points, equaling Wesley’s tally but edging him on tiebreaks.

Although Abdusattorov slipped to fourth after the end of the rapid tournament courtesy of two crushing losses, the former world rapid champion showed tremendous fight against Carlsen in the last round — having a fairly convertible edge over the five-time classical world champion — only to squander it with just one bad move. 

At the other end of the table, Narayanan and Vidit Gujrathi, both with 3.5 points, rounded off the standings below Arjun.

Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina continued her domination in the Women’s section, mirroring Carlsen’s performance by finishing with two full points over the second-best player and winning the event with a round to spare. 

Aleksandra Goryachkina in the 7th round of the rapid in the 6th edition of Tata Steel Chess India. | Photo Credit: The Hindu/DEBASISH BHADURI

Nana Dzagnidze and Vantika Agrawal retained their positions in second and third, respectively. Vantika could have secured the runner-up spot but was outplayed by compatriot Divya Deshmukh in the final round. Divya’s remarkable 22-minute time advantage over Vantika’s three minutes and 56 seconds was a rare sight in rapid chess and proved decisive.

R. Vaishali, who endured a torrid day on Thursday, found some redemption by beating Kateryna Lagno and Harika Dronavalli in her final two games.

Meanwhile, it was a tournament to forget for Koneru Humpy, who ended at the bottom of the standings with just three points.

Standings after rapid event

Open Section: Magnus Carlsen (7.5); R. Praggnanandhaa (5.5); Wesley So (5.5); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (5); Vincent Keymer (4.5); Nihal Sarin (4); Daniil Dubov (3.5); Arjun Erigaisi (3.5); Vidit Gujrathi (3); S. L. Narayanan (3).

Women’s Section: Aleksandra Goryachkina (7.5); Nana Dzagnidze (5.5); Vantika Agrawal (5); Kateryna Lagno (4.5); Harika Dronavalli (4.5); Valentina Gunina (4.5); Divya Deshmukh (3.5); R. Vaishali (3.5); Alexandra Kosteniuk (3.5); Koneru Humpy (3).