R Praggnanandhaa, an Indian teenager who became a chess sensation defeated world number 1 Magnus Carlsen in classic fashion for the first time at the ongoing Norway Chess Tournament on Wednesday. In the third round, the 18-year-old battled with Norwegian stars on his home court and took the lead in the opening part of the tournament with six players.
Last year the FIDE World Chess Cup runners-up fought for victory with clever moves against Carlsen on the white pieces. At the end of the third round, R Pragananadha’s score was 5.5 out of nine points, and Carlsen fell to fifth. Earlier, Pragananadhaa beat Carlsen in quick and blitz games. Earlier on Tuesday, in Round 2 of the prestigious Norwegian chess, all three classic games ended in a draw again at Spare Bank 1 SR-Bank on Tuesday.
Magnus Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, and Ding Liren won the next Armageddon matches for White, winning 1.5 points each. R Praggnanandhaa, who took a 2-0 lead against world champion Ding Liren, played his first classic draw at the 2024 Norway Chess Main Event.
According to a Norway Chess press release, the Chinese GM won the Armageddon draw. In the highly anticipated doubles match of the day, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura played a tight classic match that ended in a draw. Showing his exceptional ability under pressure, Carlsen was able to secure a decisive victory, adding to his impressive Armageddon record and taking a 3-point lead in the tournament.
At the same time, Alireza Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana also made their classic game after the same tough battle. Firouzja’s speed chess skills shone in Armageddon when he won a decisive 1.5 points. Two other classic matches between Lei Tingjie and Pia Cramling and Ju Wenjun and Anna Muzychuk ended in tough draws.
Chinese duo Wenjun and Tingjie won their Armageddon matches. Norway Chess 2024 got off to a dynamic start, bringing together the world’s best chess players for a super tournament that started on May 27th and continues until June 7th at Spare Bank 1 SR-Bank.
This year, the tournament not only features the famous Norwegian Chess Tournament but also introduces the Norwegian Chess Women’s tournaments, which highlight the best female players in the world. Both tournaments will be held in a 6-player double-round format with the same prize money, underscoring the commitment to gender equality in chess, according to a press release from Norway Chess.
