New Delhi: Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has added one more feather to his glittering crown as he defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess at the Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger. Classical chess aka slow chess allows an ample amount of time for both players.
Magnus being a hegemonic in the world of chess for close to a decade has always been a tough opponent to beat. However, the 18-year-old chess prodigy has defeated his seasoned opponent in some style and composure.
On the other hand, Rameshbabu’s sister Vaishali also kept Anna Muzychuk at bay to churn out a much-needed draw. Earlier, Vaishali had defeated her compatriot Koneru Humpy to jump into the sole leader. With both brother-sister duo in pole positions, it will be interesting to see whether both of them can end the campaign on a high.
What happened in the match?
The 18-year-old has found the better of Magnus on quite a few occasions in recent times. This time again Praggnanandhaa took the lead with 5.5 points out of a possible 9 points after the third round itself. Rameshbabu, playing with white pieces showcased tremendous composure against a risky and daring move from Carlsen.
Naturally, after failing the ploy of Carlen, the Norwegian slipped to the fifth position on the points table. It has been a remarkable fight from Rameshbabu since he trailed on the clock for most of the game. Moreover, Carlsen had already defeated Praggnanandhaa last year during the FIDE World Cup. Naturally, it was a sweet revenge for the 18-year-old.
Some other crucial results were also there in Norway to spice up an interesting morning in Stavanger. To start with, World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana dished out a drubbing defeat to Chinese prodigy Ding Laren. On the other hand, Hikaru Nakamura also managed to win his game against Alireza Firouzja to remain steadfast in the third position.
