Kolkata: The opening day of the Tata Steel Chess India tournament concluded with applause as Vidith Gujrathi and Magnus Carlsen shook hands, signaling the end of an eventful day. The World No 1, Magnus Carlsen, started with two draws but finished strong with a win against Gujrathi, ending the day with two points. This left him just half a point behind the early leader, Uzbekistan Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Day one featured thrilling rapid matches, with Abdusattorov securing wins against German talent Vincent Keymer in round two and India’s R Praggnanandhaa in round three, while drawing his opening game with Daniil Dubov. Carlsen’s day began shakily against Praggnanandhaa in a Neo Catalan defense game, where the Indian GM missed a checkmate opportunity, leading to a draw through a 3-fold repetition. Another draw with Sarin followed, but Carlsen’s persistence paid off against Gujrathi, who played the Berlin defense, helping Carlsen join Wesley So and India’s SL Narayanan in second place with two points each. Narayanan’s score included a win against Keymer and draws with So and Arjun Erigaisi. Praggnanandhaa ended the day with one point after drawing with Dubov and losing to Abdusattorov.
In the women’s section, Indian talent Vantika Agrawal shone brightly, sharing the lead with Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno, each scoring two points from three rounds. Agrawal secured a significant victory over Valentina Gunina in the opening round, followed by draws with Aleksandra Kosteniuk and Nana Dzagnidze. India’s Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, and Divya Deshmukh trailed the leaders by half a point after drawing all three of their games.
With six more rounds left in the Rapid event, the players have ample opportunities to make their mark before the Blitz rounds begin on Saturday.
