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With three wins in as many games, including victories over Wesley So and Arjun Erigaisi, Magnus Carlsen emerged as the sole leader at the Tata Steel India Rapid tournament in Kolkata. The world's highest-rated player now holds a half-point lead over Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who entered the day as the leader but scored 2/3 points on Thursday. Three more rounds of rapid chess remain before the tournament transitions into a two-day blitz section over the weekend.
Carlsen's performance on day two began with a win over Narayanan S.L., in which he employed what he described as "old man's chess" – a strategic, methodical approach rather than a tactical one. This victory allowed Carlsen to join Abdusattorov and So in the lead, as So had previously defeated Arjun in the fourth round. Carlsen then followed up with wins over both So and Erigaisi, completing the day on an impressive high note.
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Meanwhile, Abdusattorov's day started with two draws, earning half points against Nihal Sarin (with black) and Vidit Gujrathi (with white). However, the Uzbek grandmaster's win over Narayanan in round 6, where he played with the black pieces, kept him firmly in contention for the title. Abdusattorov's consistent play left him poised as Carlsen's main challenger.
The final day promises an intense battle for first place between Carlsen and Abdusattorov, with So in sole third, standing 1½ points behind the leader and thus unlikely to overtake both frontrunners. Notably, Abdusattorov is set to face So, Arjun and Carlsen in the final three rounds - importantly, he will have the white pieces in his encounters against both So and Carlsen. This sets up a potential thrilling finale, particularly as the Carlsen v. Abdusattorov matchup could prove decisive for the tournament title.
Magnus Carlsen defeated Arjun Erigaisi, now the fourth-highest-rated player in the world | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Wesley So already had a clear edge over Arjun Erigaisi when he found a stylish way to break through on the kingside.
30.Bh6 all but forces 30...gxh6, as White would otherwise capture on g7 with decisive effect. Still, after 31.Ra7 there is no way to defend against the attack.
There followed 31...Qg8 32.Nxh6 Rb8 33.Qc7 Bxd6 34.Nf7+
So went on to employ the "windmill" (or "seesaw") technique to secure a memorable victory, jumping with his knight back and forth from f7 to wreak havoc on Black's position: 34...Kg7 35.Nxd6+ Kh6 36.Nf7+ Kg7 37.Nd8+, etcetera.
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Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes
In round 6, Nodirbek Abdusattorov ended his game against Narayanan S.L. at once by leaving one of his rooks en prise on g3.
White resigned after 34...Rg3, as 35.fxg3 fails to 35...Rxh3#. To keep the game going for a while, capturing with the queen on g3 is forced, but the ensuing position would be miserable for the player with the white pieces.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Much like Carlsen in the open section, Aleksandra Goryachkina leads the standings in the women's with a score of 5/6 after securing three consecutive wins on Thursday. However, unlike Carlsen, Goryachkina has a full-point lead heading into the final day of rapid play. In sole second place is Nana Dzagnidze, who delivered an impressive 2½/3 performance on day two, bringing her total score to 4/6.
Goryachkina's success on Thursday included victories over Vantika Agrawal, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Kateryna Lagno. While her wins in rounds 4 and 6 were convincingly executed, it was a critical error in the endgame by Vaishali that handed Goryachkina the win in round 5. The position had a slight edge for Goryachkina, who was playing Black, but Vaishali's 51.Nxf5 blunder led to a rather quick defeat.
The mistaken capture forced White to sacrifice a minor piece after 51...Rd2 52.Bc8 Rd8, leaving the bishop unable to protect the knight.
Vaishali played 53.Bb7, allowing 53...Kxf5, and resignation came soon after.
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With Vantika and Harika Dronavalli trailing by 1½ points behind Goryachkina, the race for the women's title has effectively narrowed down to Goryachkina and Dzagnidze. However, unlike in the open, where Carlsen and Abdusattorov are set to clash in a final-round encounter, Goryachkina and Dzagnidze already faced off in round 2, when they signed a 41-move draw.
Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Nana Dzagnidze | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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