Magnus Carlsen and Kateryna Lagno lead the standings at the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz 2024. Carlsen achieved 6.5 points, with a notable defeat in round eight. Praggnanandhaa follows closely with 6 points.

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and three-time World Women’s Blitz Champion Kateryna Lagno emerged as the leaders at the halfway mark of the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz 2024, being held at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata.

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and three-time World Women's Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno occupied the top spot while India's R Praggnanandhaa took second place at the halfway mark of the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz 2024 in Kokata on Saturday.

Magnus Carlsen, despite suffering his first defeat against Arjun Erigaisi, finished Day One of the Tata Steel India Open Blitz tournament atop the lea

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and three-time world women's blitz champion Kateryna Lagno emerged as the leaders at the halfway mark of the Tata Steel Chess India Blitz 2024, being held at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium here. Carlsen concluded the first nine rounds with an impressive 6.5 points out of a possible nine.

Kolkata: The Tata Steel Chess tournament has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride for Arjun Erigaisi, the latest entrant to the 2800-rating club. Barely two days earlier, Magnus Carlsen had picked his game against the Indian as the one he enjoyed the most in the rapid round even though defeat was inflicted in just 40 moves.

R. Praggnanandhaa discovered this the hard way during the opening round of the Tata Steel Chess India 2024 Blitz tournament at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium. In a marathon 112-move game against compatriot Vidit Gujrathi, Praggnanandhaa watched a winning position slip through his fingers, setting the tone for a challenging day ahead.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Erigaisi faced fellow Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa in the final round of the day, where he suffered a defeat. He finished the day third on the table with 5.5 points. The victory over Erigaisi, on the other hand, brought Praggnanandhaa’s tally to 6 points, placing him second on the Blitz leaderboard after nine rounds.

Starting the day just half a point behind overnight leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Magnus Carlsen’s masterful play elevated him to the top of the leaderboard with a commanding five points out of a possible six in the ‘Open’ section.

Magnus Carlsen leads Tata Steel Chess India after winning three games in Round 5, while Aleksandra Goryachkina tops the women's section with five points.