Carlsen, who was in first place from the start, achieved his fifth successive victory in a row, while R. Praggnanandhaa made an impressive comeback to secure second place in the open category.
On 11/15/2024, during day two of the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid tournament, Magnus Carlsen and Aleksandra Goryachkina emerged as the sole leaders in the open and women’s categories, respectively. Carlsen, having defeated top players like Wesley So and Arjun Erigaisi, is leading by half a point ahead of Nodirbek Abdusattorov, which will make the final day of rapid play very tense. Goryachkina’s strong performance, which includes three victories on Thursday, has positioned her one point ahead of Nana Dzagnidze in the women’s competition.
An ideal day for Carlsen
After winning all three games, which included defeating Wesley So and Arjun Erigaisi, Magnus Carlsen is now in first place at the Tata Steel India Rapid tournament in Kolkata. The top-ranked player in the world is now ahead by half a point compared to Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who was leading before, but only scored 2/3 points on Thursday (14th November). The tournament will have three more rounds of rapid chess before moving into a two-day blitz section on the weekend.
Carlsen’s day two performance started with a victory against Narayanan S.L., utilizing a strategic, methodical style he referred to as “old man’s chess” instead of relying on tactics. Carlsen’s win helped him catch up with Abdusattorov and So, who were in the lead after So’s victory against Arjun in round four. Carlsen later won against both So and Erigaisi, ending the day on a strong note.
In the meantime, Abdusattorov began his day with two draws, securing half points against Nihal Sarin (playing with black) and Vidit Gujrati (playing with white). Yet, the Uzbek grandmaster’s victory against Narayanan in the sixth round, playing with the black pieces, ensured he remained a strong contender for the title. Abdusattorov’s steady performance positioned him as Carlsen’s primary competitor.
The last day will see a fierce competition for the top spot between Carlsen and Abdusattorov, as So remains in third place, trailing the leader by 1½ points and not expected to surpass both top contenders. Abdusattorov will notably play against So, Arjun, and Carlsen in the remaining three rounds – crucially, he will have the white pieces when facing So and Carlsen. This creates an exciting potential end to the tournament, especially since the Carlsen v. Abdusattorov match may determine the winner.
Standings after round 6
| Rk. | Name | Rtg. | Nt. | Pts. | n | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TB | Perf. | |
| 1 | GM | Carlsen, M | 2831 | 5.0 | 6 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 12.50 | 2997 | |||||
| 2 | GM | Abdusattorov, N | 2777 | 4.5 | 6 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 11.50 | 2897 | |||||
| 3 | GM | So, W | 2747 | 3.5 | 6 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 8.00 | 2797 | |||||
| 4 | GM | Dubov, D | 2693 | 3.0 | 6 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 8.75 | 2721 | |||||
| 5 | GM | Praggnanandha.R | 2737 | 3.0 | 6 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 8.25 | 2742 | |||||
| 6 | Narayanan S L | 2647 | 2.5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 6.75 | 2706 | ||||||
| 7 | GM | Keymer, V | 2733 | 2.5 | 6 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 6.25 | 2674 | |||||
| 8 | GM | Nihal Sarin | 2676 | 2.0 | 6 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 7.25 | 2637 | |||||
| 9 | GM | Vidit, S | 2739 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 6.25 | 2639 | |||||
| 10 | GM | Erigaisi Arjun | 2799 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 4.50 | 2604 |
Women’s: Goryachkina is in the lead with a score of 5 out of 6.
Similar to Carlsen in the open division, Aleksandra Goryachkina is at the top of the standings in the women’s category with a 5/6 score, following three consecutive victories on Thursday. Nevertheless, Goryachkina, unlike Carlsen, holds a one-point advantage going into the last day of rapid games. Nana Dzagnidze sits in second place with a strong performance of 2½/3 on day two, giving her a total score of 4/6.
On Thursday (14th November), Goryachkina achieved success by defeating Vantika Agrawal, Vaishali Rameshbabu, and Kateryna Lagno. Although Vaishali executed impressive wins in rounds 4 and 6, it was a crucial mistake in the endgame that allowed Goryachkina to win round 5. Goryachkina had a slight advantage in the position while playing as Black, but Vaishali’s 51. Nxf5 mistake resulted in a swift loss.
Standings after round 6
| Rk. | Name | Rtg. | Nt. | Pts. | n | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TB | Perf. | |
| 1 | GM | Goryachkina, A | 2528 | 5.0 | 6 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13.25 | 2758 | |||||
| 2 | GM | Dzagnidze, N | 2518 | 4.0 | 6 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 10.50 | 2618 | |||||
| 3 | Dronavalli, H | 2493 | 3.5 | 6 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 11.50 | 2538 | ||||||
| 4 | WGM | Vantika Agrawal | 2392 | 3.5 | 6 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 9.25 | 2547 | |||||
| 5 | GM | Gunina, V | 2425 | 3.5 | 6 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7.25 | 2545 | |||||
| 6 | GM | Lagno, K | 2527 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 8.75 | 2497 | |||||
| 7 | WGM | Divya Deshmukh | 2493 | 2.5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5.00 | 2435 | |||||
| 8 | GM | Koneru, H | 2530 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 5.50 | 2366 | |||||
| 9 | GM | Kosteniuk, A | 2487 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 4.75 | 2368 | |||||
| 10 | GM | Vaishali, R | 2490 | 1.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 2.25 | 2201 |
