Norway Chess: R Praggnanandhaa beats Magnus Carlsen for first time in classical game

R Praggnanandhaa beat Magnus Carlsen in the third round of games to take the sole lead of the 2024 Norway Chess tournament.

The 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster beat Carlsen on his home turf with white pieces to register his first win in the classical format against the Norwegian. The Indian has beaten Carlsen in the rapid/exhibition games quite a few times.

With the win, Praggnanandhaa took sole lead in the tournament with 5.5 points. Carlsen, meanwhile, dropped down to fifth.

Classical chess, also known as slow chess, allows players significant amount of time to make their moves, usually at least one hour.

Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa had drawn their previous three encounters in this format.

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First classical win for Praggnanandhaa against Magnus Carlsen. What more to say?

This victory marks a significant milestone in Praggnanandhaa's career. Congratulations! 🌟#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/ZrCHVexis8

— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) May 29, 2024

“His opening was provocative. I said he wants to fight, because otherwise he could play something solid. I didn’t mind at all. We’ll fight and we’ll see how it goes,” Praggnanandhaa was quoted as saying by The Indian Express after the win.

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Asked if it was his best win, Praggnanandhaa said: “I don’t know, I will have to check. I didn’t think I played really well. I did find some best moves. It’s not my best game for sure.”

He told the local media, “I kind of feel that I have enough experience at this level and I can beat these players, but I have to play my best for that and that’s what I’m trying to do. That’s kind of the mindset.”

Nakamura, assessing Carlsen’s attempt at shock and surprise, told local broadcaster, “I wish Magnus would take these chances against me or against Fabi. I have this theory that when Magnus is playing the younger kids specifically he wants to sort of prove a point, he wants to go after them and try to beat them and he takes far more risks than he does against us old folks!”

Fabiano Caruana also registered a win against world champion Ding Liren to push his tally to five points and second spot in the standings.

The other game in the Open section saw Hikaru Nakamura edge Alireza Firouzja in the Armageddon tiebreaker.

All three clashes in the Women’s Norway Chess were decided by Armageddons. First it was Koneru Humpy who defeated Lei Tingjie. Later in the day, Pia Cramling drew her game as White, giving the 1.5 points to Ju Wenjun, after which R Vaishali held Anna Muzychuk to a draw with black pieces to maintain her one-point lead in the standings.