Abdusattorov moves into the sole lead; Praggnanandhaa, Nihal hold Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen faces tough Indian competition at Tata Steel Chess India, while Vantika Agrawal shines in women's event.

If Magnus Carlsen needed any more confirmation that he was indeed in India, it came on the opening day of the Tata Steel Chess India. All his three opponents at the impressive Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium on Tuesday were Indians.

His young Indian rivals also reminded him how difficult it was to score points off them these days. The World No. 1 from Norway was held by R. Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin, but bounced back to beat Vidit Gujrathi in his last game of the day.

The star of the opening day was Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The youngster from Uzbekistan moved into an early sole lead in the rapid section of the tournament, scoring 2.5 points.

S.L. Narayanan, making his debut in the tournament, had an opportunity to catch up with him but let Arjun Eraigisi off the hook with a draw.

That meant Narayanan was pushed to the joint second position, along with Carlsen and Wesley So of the United States. Six more rounds remain though, so much more could happen over the next two days of rapid chess.

In the women’s event, there is no sole leader yet. There is a three-way tie at the top, featuring Russians Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno and Vantika Agrawal of the host. They are all on two points.

It was a fine day for Vantika, one of India’s brightest stars from the golden triumph at the Chess Olympiad. She beat Valentina Gunina of Russia in the opening round and then drew with Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia and the top-seeded Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland.