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.
The Norwegian maestro had a dominant start, but his momentum was halted in Round VIII by Arjun Erigaisi, who defeated him in spectacular fashion in just 20 moves with black pieces. This was Carlsen’s first defeat in the ongoing tournament.
In the rapid section, Carlsen had accounted for Erigaisi, the latest entrant to the 2800 Elo rating club, in just 40 moves on Thursday.
In the final round of the day, Carlsen settled for a draw against Vidit Gujarathi.
Indian star Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa follows closely in second place with six points, recovering remarkably after losing his first three games to register six consecutive wins. Arjun Erigaisi and Russia’s Daniil Dubov are tied for third with 5.5 points each.
In the women’s section, Kateryna Lagno leads the field with seven points, maintaining an undefeated streak with five wins and four draws.
Valentina Gunina trails her by a single point in second place, while rapid champion Aleksandra Goryachkina occupies third with five points.
Goryachkina had a strong start with three consecutive wins but managed only four draws in the remaining six games.
The tournament will conclude on Sunday with nine more Blitz rounds to determine the champions of this prestigious event.