“I prefer to play chess. It’s my favorite interest on the planet,” grinned Magnus Carlsen minutes after he had claimed the speedy title on the Tata Metal Chess India Fast & Blitz Event on Friday, successful the crown over a discipline of 9 different high gamers together with 5 Indians.
Praggnanandhaa ended up two full factors behind Carlsen however was second within the speedy portion of the occasion. Pragg was the perfect positioned Indian within the standings, with Nihal Sarin (sixth place with 4 factors), Arjun Erigaisi (eighth with 3.5 factors), Vidit Gujrathi (ninth with three factors) and SL Narayanan (tenth with three factors) following him on the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata. The blitz part of the occasion will begin on Saturday.
“It’s very satisfying after I can nonetheless be fairly good at chess, particularly whereas going through the youthful generations. For me, that’s motivation in itself. I’m going to every occasion like I’ve by no means received something earlier than,” Carlsen added on the press convention on Friday after his victory.
With the world chess championship looming on the horizon and the prospect of 18-year-old Gukesh changing into the youngest ever world chess champion in historical past trying sensible, Carlsen was requested if he can be motivated to play on the planet championship within the subsequent cycle, significantly if the person with the crown on his head is an adolescent.
“An extended-form classical match actually doesn’t curiosity me towards anyone. Whoever wins the title it will likely be super, However I can’t be looking for to problem for that,” Carlsen mentioned earlier than reiterating that on present kind he thought Gukesh was the favorite towards the present world champion Ding Liren.
Recovering from a sluggish begin
Carlsen had a sluggish begin to the Tata Metal Fast and Blitz event, being held to 2 attracts within the first two rounds by Praggnanandhaa and Nihal. However Thursday noticed him win all three video games, together with towards Arjun Erigaisi. On his method to the title, Carlsen was undefeated and was held to attracts by Praggnanandhaa, Nihal and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Carlsen picked his victory over Arjun, who’s at present ranked No.2 on the planet within the stay rankings, as his favourite on the Kolkata occasion.
“I feel the sport towards Arjun was actually my favourite of those right here. He’s an especially harmful participant when he has the initiative, when he will get to assault, and I kind of willingly bought right into a place the place he had the initiative. So I’m very pleased that regardless that my play was clearly removed from excellent, that I managed to deal with the ensuing difficult place higher than he did and to get the win there. Other than that, I feel my different wins had been both my opponent didn’t play in one of the best ways or they had been primarily kind of technical,” mentioned Carlsen.
Carlsen was so dominant within the event that his title was secured within the penultimate spherical itself with him defeating his one-time second Daniil Dubov, who had helped him defeat Ian Nepomniachtchi on the World Chess Championship in 2021.
“The primary and the final video games had been most tough for me right here. I performed effectively yesterday. However my stage dropped a bit right now. Within the final recreation, Nodirbek outplayed me fairly badly and I ought to have misplaced that one for positive. So I’m not thrilled about that,” he admitted on Friday.
Elsewhere, the younger Vantika Agrawal ended up a commendable third place within the ladies’s part with 5 factors behind Aleksandra Goryachkina (7.5 factors) and Nana Dzagnidze (5.5 factors). Vantika was forward of extra vaunted compatriots like Harika Dronavalli (fifth place with 4.5 factors), Divya Deshmukh (seventh place with 3.5 factors), Vaishali Rameshbabu (eighth with 3.5 factors) and Koneru Humpy (tenth with three factors).
