Kolkata: World No 1 Magnus Carlsen and three-time Women’s World Blitz Champion Kateryna Lagno claimed the Blitz titles at the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz 2024, held at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium here.
For Carlsen, this victory marked a remarkable double, as he also secured the Rapid title earlier on Friday.
Carlsen started the second half of the Blitz event with a narrow half-point lead on Sunday. Despite holding steady with five consecutive draws against Praggnanandhaa, Wesley So, Abdusattorov Nodirbek, Vincent Keymer, and Nihal Sarin, the Norwegian star maintained his position at the top.
An opportunity emerged for Arjun Erigaisi to overtake Carlsen, but Arjun faltered in the final rounds, losing three consecutive games. This sealed the title for Carlsen even before the last round.
Wesley So claimed the runner-up position, while Arjun Erigaisi completed the podium in third place, showcasing promising performances throughout the Blitz segment.
In the Women’s section, Kateryna Lagno dominated with an impressive 11.5 points to emerge as the champion.
Valentina Gunina and Aleksandra Goryachkina took the first and second runner-up spots, respectively, following thrilling contests across the rounds.
The tournament concluded with a grand closing ceremony graced by Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice President of Tata Steel, and legendary Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, alongside Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua, Vice President of the All India Chess Federation, and Tournament Director Jeroen Van den Berg.
The dignitaries presented the champions with their trophies and cash prizes, celebrating their extraordinary performances.
Final Standings Blitz:
Open Section: Magnus Carlsen (13); So Wesly (11.5); Arjun Erigaisi (10.5); R Praggnanandhaa (9.5); Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (9); Daniil Dubov (9); Abdusattorov Nodirbek (8); Nihal Sarin (7) Narayanan S L (6.5); and Keymer Vincent (6).
Women’s Section: Kateryna Lagno (11.5); Valentina Gunina (11); Aleksandra Goryachkina (9.5); Vantika Agrawal (9.5); Alexandra Kosteniuk (9); Koneru Humpy (9); Harika Dronavalli (8.5); Vaishali R (8) Divya Deshmukh (7.5) and Nana Dzagnidze (6.5).
