Tata Steel Chess tournament 2024 Results: Magnus Carlsen bags double gold, Russians dominate the women's category
Last week at Kolkata, the omniscient conqueror of chess Magnus Carlsen added another jewel to his crown. The World No. 1 clinched double gold at the Tata Steel Chess tournament, winning both the Rapid and the Blitz competition. Carlsen, after the Blitz event, stated that his score was "not great" — perhaps, by his own lofty standards. Nonetheless, he had secured both titles with a round to spare.
Carlsen looked like a train on track for the better part of the rapid event, where he won six out of nine rounds and earned draws in the remaining. However, he had a few jittery moments in the Blitz competition. After going undefeated through the first seven rounds, the Norwegian lost to India's Arjun Erigaisi in Round 8. He further went through a winless phase from Round 11 to 15 but bounced back to win the remaining matches. In the penultimate round, Carlsen avenged his earlier defeat by beating Erigaisi to seal the title.
Meanwhile, the women's category saw Russian grandmasters dominate. The Rapid competition was won by Aleksandra Goryachkina, whereas Kateryna Lagno bagged the Blitz gold. Here again, the winners of both events were decided with a round to spare.
The tournament witnessed 10 Indian players ply their trade. In the Open category, R Praggnanandhaa secured second place in the Rapid event, while Arjun Erigaisi came third in the Blitz competition. In the women's category, Vantika Agrawal clinched the third position in Rapid. She also bagged fourth place in the Blitz event but will share the prize money with third-place finisher Goryachkina due to an equal points tally.
Rapid - Final Standings
The Rapid event saw nine rounds, with every player going up against each competitor once. Each player had 25 minutes on the clock from move 1, with a 10-second increment per move.
Open Category
Women's Category
Blitz - Final Standings
The Blitz event saw 18 rounds with every player going up against each competitor twice. Each player had 3 minutes on the clock from move 1, with a 2-second increment per move.
Women's Category