The Norway Chess Tournament 2024 witnessed a series of stunning upsets as Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated the reigning world champion Ding Liren, world number one Magnus Carlsen, and world number two Fabiano Caruana.
Praggnanandhaa’s dominance at the Norway Chess Tournament
Praggnanandhaa’s victory over Carlsen, the world number one, in the third round of the tournament was a momentous achievement. The young prodigy, playing with white pieces, battled against the odds to secure a win over Carlsen. This victory marked Praggnanandhaa’s first-ever classical win over Carlsen.
In the fifth round, Praggnanandhaa continued his dominating performance by defeating world number two player Fabiano Caruana in a classical chess game. This victory marked the first time he defeated both world number one Magnus Carlsen and world number two Caruana in classic chess. His exceptional performance in the tournament catapulted him into the top ten of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Rankings.
In the seventh round, Praggnanandhaa faced reigning world champion Ding Liren. After a series of intense moves, the classical game ended in a draw. However, in the Armageddon tie-breaker that followed, Praggnanandhaa managed to defeat Ding. This victory was significant as it came after Praggnanandhaa had already created upsets against higher-ranked players like Carlsen and Caruana.
Praggnanandhaa’s performance in the tournament has been nothing short of phenomenal. His victories over the top-ranked players have not only stunned the chess world but also significantly boosted his world ranking. Despite a loss to Frenchman Firouzja Alireza in the Armageddon tiebreaker earlier in the tournament, Praggnanandhaa’s overall performance has been commendable.
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen✅
World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana ✅And now, he beats World Champion Ding Liren (in Armageddon) ✅
R. Praggnanandhaa is on a roll at #NorwayChess!
Details👇https://t.co/TwwnREVSnepic.twitter.com/2r2R5sbGfC
— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) June 4, 2024
With these victories, Praggnanandhaa has moved to the third spot in the six-man Open Section of Norway Chess with a total of 11 points. He is 2.5 points behind leader Carlsen, while America’s Hikaru Nakamura is in the second spot with 12.5 points.
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