Norway Chess: R Praggnanandhaa stuns world champion Ding Liren
R Praggnanandhaa continued his winning streak by upsetting world champion Ding Liren in the Armageddon game at the Norway Chess Tournament.
Praggnanandhaa’s victory came after he had already defeated higher-ranked players, including Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, earlier in the competition.
Ding Liren fell in the Armageddon game, allowing the young Indian prodigy to secure another high-profile triumph, despite drawing with Praggnanandhaa in the classical game.
Praggnanandhaa has recently made headlines by defeating Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in quick succession. However, world champion Ding Liren’s defeat demonstrated that Praggnanandhaa was far from finished slaying giants.
In another nail-biting battle, Hikaru Nakamura moved closer to tournament leader Magnus Carlsen. Nakamura won the Armageddon thriller on time, closing the gap to just half a point behind Carlsen.
The match between Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja was a roller coaster of emotions. Caruana’s brave knight sacrifice almost backfired, but he managed to salvage a draw in the classical game. However, Firouzja dominated the Armageddon game, leaving Caruana with no chance of recovery.
Recently, Praggnanandhaa has received effusive praise from several quarters for his prowess on the 64 squares. Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani lauded the Indian teen chess sensation following his stunning victory over world number one Magnus Carlsen in classical chess. Additionally, the chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, also praised Praggnanandhaa.
Earlier, after his victory at the FIDE World Cup, Praggnanandhaa was praised by former World Champion and chess icon Garry Kasparov, who said Praggnanandhaa had been very tenacious in difficult positions.
