Kritika Gaur Praggnanandhaa makes history with a remarkable win over World No. 1 Carlsen at the prestigious Norway Chess Tournament. Read more about this incredible chess achievement.
Magnus Carlsen, the top player in the world, was defeated by Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa in his first classical game to take the lead in the Norway Chess tournament. After three rounds, the 18-year-old Indian, who has defeated Carlsen numerous times in rapid/exhibition games, assumed the lead with 5.5 points.
The Road To Victory
Playing with white pieces, Praggnanandhaa’s victory moved home favourite Carlsen up to the sixth position in the standings. Classical chess, sometimes referred to as slow chess, gives players a long time—typically an hour or more—to plan their moves.
In this format, Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa had drawn their three previous meetings. With 5.5 points, Praggnandhaa’s sister R Vaishali took first place in the women’s tournament. In her matchup with Anna Muzychuk, she drew.
In other matches, the current world champion Ding Liren of China was defeated by American Fabiano Caruana, ranked second in the world. After the defeat, Liren fell to the bottom of the six-player field.
Hikaru Nakamura, an American, defeated Frenchman Alireza Firouzja in his Armageddon match to earn an additional half point and place third in the standings. In the fourth round, Nakamura will compete against Praggnanandhaa.
Following Indian chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa’s victory over the current five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen in the second round of the Superbet quick and blitz chess competition, reactions flooded social media. The chess prodigy was congratulated by Anand Mahindra on his incredible victory as well.
Anand Mahindra On Victory
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the 69-year-old industrialist said that now is the time to “brag about Pragg”.
People proposed giving the Indian chess prodigy cars from the Mahindra lineup, suggesting the XUV400 and X700, after Mahindra praised him. Praggnanandhaa was even applauded by many on his victory. A few even praised him as a “genius” and a trailblazer who establishes model standards for the chess world.
He accomplished a noteworthy accomplishment in 2023 when he became the youngest player to make it to the Chess World Cup final. To proceed, he won a tie-break against Fabiano Caruana in the semifinal. It’s interesting to note that he made history by becoming the second Indian player to reach the final of the Chess World Cup, following Viswanathan Anand.
Not The First Win For Praggnanandhaa
Magnus Carlsen had been defeated by Praggnanandhaa before, though. He overcame Carlsen three times in six months starting with April 2022. At the American final of the Champions Chess Tour, the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami, he won his third match. The 18-year-old chess player amazed Anand Mahindra, who remarked, “If chess is a Game of Thrones, then there may be a new occupier of the throne soon.”
