India Blitz 2024: Carlsen, Lagno lead; Praggnanandhaa close second

Kolkata: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and three-time World Women’s Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno occupied the top spot while India’s R Praggnanandhaa took second place at the halfway mark of the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz 2024 here on Saturday.

Carlsen concluded the first nine rounds with an impressive 6.5 points out of a possible 9.

The Norwegian maestro had a dominant start, but his momentum was halted in round eight by Arjun Erigaisi, who defeated him in spectacular fashion in just 20 moves.

In the final round of the day, Carlsen settled for a draw against Vidit Gujarathi.

Young Indian prodigy Praggnanandhaa tailed him closely in second place with 6 points, recovering remarkably after losing his first three games to register six consecutive wins.

Erigaisi and Russia’s Daniil Dubov are tied for third with 5.5 points each.

In the women’s section, Lagno led the field with 7 points, maintaining an undefeated streak with five wins and four draws.

Valentina Gunina trails her by a single point in second place, while Rapid Champion Aleksandra Goryachkina occupies third with 5 points.

Goryachkina had a strong start with three consecutive wins but managed only four draws in the remaining six games.

Standings (Round 9): Open Section: Magnus Carlsen (6.5); R Praggnanandhaa (6); Arjun Erigaisi (5.5); Daniil Dubov (5.5); Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (5); Abdusattorov Nodirbek (4); Wesley So (3.5); Narayanan S L (3.5); Nihal Sarin (3.5) and Keymer Vincent (2).

Women’s Section: Kateryna Lagno (7); Valentina Gunina (6); Aleksandra Goryachkina (5); Divya Deshmukh (4.5); Vantika Agrawal (4.5); Koneru Humpy (4.5); Harika Dronavalli (4); Alexandra Kosteniuk (4); Vaishali R (3.5) and Nana Dzagnidze (2).