Norway Chess: R Praggnanandhaa Defeats Magnus Carlsen In The First-ever Classical Match

On Wednesday, May 29, in Stavanger, Norway, Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, 18, defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen to record his first-ever classical victory. With the historic win at Carlsen’s home ground, the Indian Grandmaster assumed the solitary lead in the open section of the esteemed six-player event. The runner-up in the FIDE World Cup last year, facing overwhelming odds, overcame Carlsen when using white pieces.

At the conclusion of the third round of the Norway Chess competition, R Praggnanandhaa had 5.5 out of 9 points. Meanwhile, American Grandmaster Fabio Caruana secured the second position with three complete points after defeating GM Ding Liren on Wednesday.

Notably, in the women’s division of Norway Chess, R Praggnanandhaa’s sister R Vaishali managed to hold onto her lone lead position.

Magnus Carlsen dropped to sixth in the six-man Norway Chess open division standings after paying a heavy price for his risky initial move against Praggnanandhaa. Praggnanandhaa maintained his composure and completed the task without letting the opening surprise him. Though Praggnanandhaa was behind the clock for the majority of the game, he was nevertheless able to defeat Carlsen with the white pieces and win three vital points.

For Praggnanandhaa, who had lost the World Cup to Magnus Carlsen the previous year, it was a major victory. Praggnanandhaa, incidentally, is only the fourth Indian to defeat Carlsen in a game of traditional chess.

To maintain third place on the standings, GM Hikaru Nakamura defeated GM Alireza Firouzja in an additional match in Armageddon. With 2.5 points out of 9 after three rounds on Wednesday, Ding Liren, who will face GM D Gukesh for the World Championship title later in the year, was clinging to the bottom slot.

R VAISHALI SOLE LEADER IN WOMEN’S SECTION

Prize money of USD 160,000 is offered by Norway Chess for both the Open and Women’s divisions. From May 27 to June 7, six players will play two games of traditional chess against one another.

R Praggnanandha defeats Magnus Carlsen in Norway Chess, earning his first-ever classical victory. On Tuesday, Vaishali produced an incredible performance to defeat fellow countryman Koneru Humpy and take the lead. After three rounds in the women’s division, GM Vaishali held GM Anna Muzychuk to a draw with black pieces on Wednesday to maintain the only lead position.

STANDINGS IN NORWAY CHESS AFTER THREE ROUNDS

OPEN: 1. Magnus Carlsen – 3, 2. Fabio Caruana – 5, 3. Hikaru Nakamura – 4, 4. Alireza Firouzja – 3.5, 5. R Praggnanandhaa – 5.5, 6. Ding Liren – 2.5.

WOMEN: Ju Wenjun 4.5, R Vaishali – 5.5 Pia Cramling – 3, Lei Tingjie – 4, Koneru Humpy – 3, Anna Muzychuk – 3.