R Praggnanandhaa and his dream run were abruptly stopped by Magnus Carlsen who showed everyone why he is still the best. Indian 18-year-old prodigy has been on a tear in the ongoing Norway Chess Championship 2024.
He defeated Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in classic matches and followed those victories with an armageddon victory against World Champion Ding Liren on Tuesday.
But like every good thing, this dominant run came to an end on Wednesday, when Carlsen defeated Pragg in the tiebreaker round. It was not an easy victory and Carlsen struggled to break down India’s defense.
‘R Praggnanandhaa Defended Well’
Praggnanandhaa and Carlsen played a gruesome draw in the classical chess match. The Norwegian had to depend on the armageddon tiebreaker round to defeat the 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster.
World No. 1 praised the Indian grandmaster after the match and stated that Pragg’s defense was solid.
“I didn’t get anything out of the classical game. I think I was slightly better. Pragg defended well. I was hoping to get at least a sniff of something but there it was not to be. The Armageddon game was pretty mediocre but I managed to grind it out and that half-point could be important.”
“I was always up on time and even though the position was fairly even I was always optimistic. I have two difficult games to go, but I’m in the lead regardless. So it’s not looking too bad. The two other games today were extremely interesting. Would have loved for Ding to get a win but I think now for him every draw is something.”
Championship Hope Alive?
Even after this defeat, Carlsen was only able to acquire half a point from this match. He now holds a one-point lead over second-placed Hikaru Nakamura in the Norway Chess standings.
R Praggnanandhaa is in third position with 12 points and still has a chance to win the tournament. Pragg will face Nakamura in his next round and a victory against him will propel him to the second spot with one match remaining.
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER.