Carlsen wins against Giri in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament

Havana, January 17 (RHC/JIT)-- The Norwegian Magnus Carlsen continued adding points in the world ranking in search of the 2,900 Elo points, by winning against the Dutch Anish Giri, during the most recent date of the first big tournament of the season, the Tata Steel Chess Tournament.

Carlsen is undoubtedly the "character" to follow in the Dutch town of Wijk ann Zee, which hosts the traditional event, and this Sunday he lived up to his fame during the second round of the tournament, when he won in just 36 moves of a Catalan opening, in which he played with white pieces.

"Deep game"... "Unbeatable victory"... this is what the different sites dedicated to the analysis of the tournament are saying about the outcome of the duel between the world number one and the eighth in the ranking.

The truth is that any praise is welcome, when you enjoy a precise match like the one lived now in that European city.

There are very few doubts that the five times world champion is very comfortable when he faces Giri. He chose the "complications" from the very opening, delivered quality (rook for knight) to organize the rest of his pieces and create weak points in the opponent's position, and all this with a simplicity worthy of his talent.

The victory gave Carlsen 3.7 points for the live Elo accumulated, a list in which he shows 2,866.7 (2,865 is the official one updated last January 1st), and he is focused on his goal of touching the 2,900 barrier.

That is still a long way off, some experts -the former Russian world champion Vladimir Kramnik among them- assure that he will not achieve it. It remains to be seen who is right, but for now the Norwegian shares the Tata Steel lead with Poland's Jan Duda.

Both of them reached 1.5 lines, since Carlsen had agreed a draw the day before with Russian Andrey Esipenko, while Duda defeated Hungarian Richard Rapport in his debut and now agreed peace with Azerbaijan's Shakriyar Mamedyarov.

Mamedyarov and Esipenko themselves make up the group that, on the strength of one point, are escorting the leaders. The remaining members of that group are the American Fabiano Caruana, the Russians Sergey Karjakin and Daniil Dubov, the Indians Santosh Gujrathi Vidit and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, and the host Jorden Van Foreest.

Giri, American Sam Shankland and Swede Nils Grandelius, are in last place with only half a score.

This Monday the third round will be played and the question is: Will Carlsen be able to win for the second consecutive time? His opponent is precisely Duda, who will try at all costs to keep the embrace with the best man of the tournament.