OSLO: R Praggnanandhaa scored a second consecutive classical chess victory over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, this time in the Norwegian's home country during the third round of the elite Norway Chess tournament. However, the 20-year-old Indian grandmaster downplayed the achievement, calling it a 'gifted' win.
Praggnanandhaa's Candid Assessment
Despite defeating the five-time world champion, Praggnanandhaa chose not to rate the victory highly. In a post-game interview, he admitted that Carlsen's mistakes played a significant role. 'There were just crazy complications and tactics,' said Praggnanandhaa, emphasizing his ambition to outplay Carlsen but not be satisfied with a partly gifted win.
Carlsen's Costly Errors
Playing with black pieces, Carlsen spent 15 minutes on his seventh move (h6 against h4), later explaining that there were about 15 playable options. The 35-year-old then sacrificed a rook for a knight to improve his queen activity. He eventually secured pawn breaks on the 'g' and 'h' files. However, Praggnanandhaa's dubious 37th move (Nd6) gave Carlsen an advantage in the endgame, with double rook, knight, bishop against double knight, rook, bishop, and two extra pawns (5 vs 3).
Carlsen failed to find the strongest winning continuation, opting to give away his rook instead of playing Bc6 on the 39th turn. He then made a series of subpar moves even when Praggnanandhaa was not at his best in the climactic stage. So upset was Carlsen that he resigned without waiting to see if Praggnanandhaa would convert or blunder. The Norwegian's shaking legs and neck as he leaned on the adjoining table underscored his disenchantment.
Implications for Classical Chess
Praggnanandhaa (Elo 2732) highlighted that when a player like Carlsen (Elo 2840) does not play enough classical games, the rating difference does not reflect the difference in active strength. This victory marks another milestone for the young Indian, who first beat Carlsen in classical chess earlier this year.
Round 3 Summary
- Alireza Firouzja leads with 7.5 points after defeating Gukesh (3.5) from a lost position.
- Divya Deshmukh (4.5) has won all three Armageddon games, trailing Bibisara Assaubayeva (5.5).
- Vincent Keymer (3) lost all Armageddon games and sits second-last despite no classical losses. Same for Ju Wenjun in the women's section.
- Gukesh remains without a classical win.
