Norway Chess 2024: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen defeated India’s R Praggnanandhaa in Round 8 of the Armageddon tiebreaker on Tuesday, despite a heroic effort by the Indian player. With two rounds remaining in the competition, the youngster is still vying for the crown.
In Tuesday’s seventh round of Norway Chess 2024, world number one Magnus Carlsen exacted his revenge against an old enemy, Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. After the two players in their legendary game in Stavanger had compromised for a draw, Carlsen emerged victorious in the Armageddon tiebreaker.
Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious in the rematch, taking the lead by one point in the Norway Chess open division. The local favourite, Carlsen, With the victory, Carlsen’s record in Norway Chess with White now stands at an astounding 14.5 out of 15.
After the victory, Carlsen moved one point clear of the nearest challenger, Hikaru Nakamura, in the Norway Chess Rankings. With 12 points, Praggnanandhaa is in third place and still has a chance to win the competition. Every one of the six competitors has two more rounds remaining. On June 6, Praggnanandhaa will play World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana.
Notably, Praggnanandhaa defeated World No. 1 in classical style, shocking Magnus Carlsen in the previous match in Norway Chess.
Tuesday’s classic match ended in a hard-fought tie between Praggnananandhaa and Carlsen. Both players performed for the spectators, balancing aggressiveness and prudence. But Carlsen showed off his skill in the Armageddon tiebreaker against White. Despite Praggnanandhaa’s best efforts and near-miss attempt to equalize, Carlsen prevailed and brought home 1.5 points.
In the other matches of the day in the Open division, world champion Ding Liren defeated Fabiano Caruana in the Armageddon tie-breaker with a much-improved performance.
Alireza Firouzja’s victory over Hikaru Nakamura in the Armageddon tie-breaker aided Magnus Carlsen’s case.
After Round 8: Standing In The Open Section
1. Magnus Carlsen 14.5
2. Hikaru Nakamura 13.5
3. R Praggnanandhaa 12
4. Alireza Firoujza 11
5. Fabiano Caruana – 9
6. Ding Liren 4.5.
In the women’s division, GM Vaishali defeated Anna Muzychuk in the Armageddon tiebreaker to snap a two-game losing run. In the Classical game, however, Lei Tingjie defeated India’s Koneru Humpy.
With 11.5 points, R Vaishali is in third place, 3 points behind leader Ju Wenjun and 1.5 points behind second-place Anna Muzychuk, indicating that the women’s division competition is also heating up.
Prize money of USD 160,000 is offered by Norway Chess for both the Open and Women’s divisions. From May 27 to May 31, six players will engage in two rounds of traditional chess competition.
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