Praggnanandhaa stuns Carlsen in classical thriller at Norway Chess Round 3

OSLO: Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a dramatic classical game to headline Round 3 of the Norway Chess tournament on Wednesday.

Praggnanandhaa produced a composed performance against the Norwegian star, gradually building pressure and appearing in control for long stretches of the game. However, the contest swung sharply during severe time trouble as Carlsen fought back and briefly seized the advantage, as per ESPN.

The momentum shifted once again moments later when Carlsen committed a decisive blunder, prompting the five-time world champion to resign immediately and hand Praggnanandhaa one of the biggest wins of his career.

Following the victory, Praggnanandhaa shared his thoughts on X. “Happy to have played out a crazy fighting game against Magnus. Fortunate to have come out on top. Looking forward to play more fighting games!” Praggnanandhaa wrote.

In another major clash, reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju battled tournament leader Alireza Firouzja in a tense encounter that ended in a hard-fought classical draw. Firouzja later prevailed in the Armageddon tie-break to earn the additional points and maintain his strong run at the top of the standings.

The third classical game of the round between Vincent Keymer and Wesley So also ended in a draw. So then defeated Keymer in Armageddon to secure the bonus point. After three rounds, Firouzja continues to lead the standings following another successful outing in Stavanger.

In the Norway Chess Women, all three classical games ended in draws before being decided through Armageddon tie-breaks. Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun and Zhu Jiner played out a tense draw after Zhu missed a promising winning advantage. Zhu bounced back to win the Armageddon game and collect the extra points.

Anna Muzychuk defeated Humpy Koneru in Armageddon after their classical contest ended level, while Divya Deshmukh overcame tournament leader Bibisara Assaubayeva in Armageddon following another drawn classical game. Despite the defeat, Assaubayeva retained her lead in the women’s standings, though Divya and Zhu narrowed the gap with crucial victories. (ANI)