In a striking display of mastery, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured his inaugural triumph in a classical match against the world’s top-ranked player, Magnus Carlsen, propelling himself to the forefront of the Norway Chess tournament. The 18-year-old prodigy, who has previously bested Carlsen in numerous rapid and exhibition matches, ascended to the leading position with an impressive 5.5 points after three rounds.
Commanding the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa’s victory relegated local favorite Carlsen to fifth place in the standings. Classical chess, or slow chess, offers players ample time to deliberate their moves, typically extending to at least one hour per game.
The previous three classical encounters between Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa had ended in draws. Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa’s sister, R Vaishali, maintained her dominance in the women’s competition, also amassing 5.5 points after a draw with Anna Muzychuk.
In other notable matches, the world’s second-ranked player, Fabiano Caruana of the USA, triumphed over the reigning world champion, Ding Liren of China, who subsequently fell to the bottom of the six-player field.
American contender Hikaru Nakamura clinched an Armageddon victory against Alireza Firouzja of France, earning an additional half point and securing the third position in the standings. Nakamura is set to face Praggnanandhaa in the upcoming fourth round.
