Chess youngster R Praggnanandhaa of India recorded a major win by defeating world champion Magnus Carlsen in a traditional game format. In the third round of the competition, Praggnanandhaa defeated Carlsen in his debut classical game.
Praggnanandhaa, who is 18 years old, proved himself on Carlsen’s home arena by winning the open division of the six-player competition.
Praggnanandhaa, the runner-up in the FIDE Chess World Cup the year before, used the white pieces to accomplish a series of calculated plays that sealed the victory. After this round, Carlsen slipped to fifth place in the tournament standings, while Praggnanandhaa took the lead with 5.5 points out of nine.
Praggnanandhaa had already defeated Carlsen in rapid and blitz chess games before this match. All of the classical games in the second round of the Norway Chess tournament ended in draws, and the winners of the Armageddon games were Carlsen, Alireza Firouzja, and Ding Liren, who each received 1.5 points.
Before Ding Liren prevailed in the Armageddon tie-breaker, Praggnanandhaa, who had previously led 2-0 versus World Champion Ding Liren, reached his maiden classical draw in this round.
Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura played a fiercely contested classical game that ended in a draw during the tournament. Later on in the competition, Carlsen emerged victorious in the Armageddon game, showcasing his ability to perform under duress.
In addition, Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja drew their traditional game, with Firouzja emerging victorious in the Armageddon match.
Vaishali R. triumphed against Koneru Humpy in the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament, her first-ever classical victory over the best female player in India. With this win, Vaishali shot up to the second spot in the live rating list among Indian women players.
The classic Norway Chess tournament and the recently launched Norway Chess Women tournament were both featured in the SpareBank 1 SR-Bank event that took place from May 27 to June 7, 2024. There is equal prize money up for grabs in both 6-player double round-robin competitions
R Praggnanandhaa: Who is He?
On August 10, 2005, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was born. His hometown is Padi, a Tamil Nadu industrial colony located in west Chennai. His mother, Nagalakshmi, stays at home with their children, while his father, K Rameshbabu, manages a bank.
Millions of Indians view Nagalakshmi, who travels with Praggnanandhaa to most of his competitions, as an inspiration because of the support mother gives her talented son.
Praggnanandhaa’s elder sister Rameshbabu Vaishali served as an inspiration for him to take up chess. Vaishali, age 22, holds the FIDE titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master.
K Rameshbabu and Nagalakshmi taught Vaishali how to play chess as a way to wean her off of watching cartoons on TV. Soon after, Praggnanandhaa became intrigued by his sister’s game and began showcasing his skill.
In the course of his ongoing chess career, Praggnanandhaa has visited more than thirty nations. Grandmaster R.B. Ramesh is his coach. Viswanathan Anand, the first Grandmaster of India and a five-time world champion, is an inspiration to the youthful chess champion.
R Praggnanandhaa vs Magnus Carlsen: A Chronology
Magnus Carlsen is without a doubt a titan. In the twelve years since he rose to the top of the world chess rankings, no one has even come close to matching his level of dominance. However, data indicates that since their first encounter with Carlsen at the New In Chess Classic Tournament, which was a part of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour in 2021, Praggnanandhaa has been progressively better.
There have been 21 matches between the two players. While not by much, Carlsen enjoys the advantage overall. Praggnanandhaa is behind him 8 to 5. All of their subsequent encounters, which included the opening two traditional games of the 2023 FIDE World Cup, concluded in draws.
Actually, five of their seven meetings were won by Carlsen. Of their seven games, one was a draw and the other was won by Praggnanandhaa. After their eighth encounter, which took place at the May 2022 Chessable Masters online rapid chess event, the Indian youngster came back stronger. He prevailed over Carlsen in the match.
During their subsequent four matches in the FTX Crypto Cup, Praggnanandhaa won three of them in a row over Carlsen. Carlsen prevailed in two of the seven draws that followed in their nine matches.
