Earlier the week, the 12th edition of Norway Chess got underway in Stavanger, with home favourite Magnus Carlsen bidding to win the title for a sixth time. This year is the first time the tournament will also have a women-only section.
Six players are in action in the men's draw; Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Ding Liren, R Praggnanandha and Alireza Firouzja. On Wednesday, the tournament witnessed an upset as Praggnanandha managed to overcome World No.1 Carlsen in a tight match, lasting 37 moves.
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R Praggnanandhaa v Magnus Carlsen
In the first two rounds, Praggnanandha had earned an Armageddon win over Alireza Firouzja (1.5 points) and an Armageddon loss to Ding Liren (1 point). Carlsen, meanwhile had managed two Armageddon wins, over Liren and Hikaru Nakamura.
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When the pair faced off in round three, Praggnanandha made sure to take advantage of being given the white pieces, as the world no. 14 controlled the match and punished some risky play from Carlsen to secure his first outright win of the tournament. It was also the Indian's first-ever classical win over Carlsen, with the pair playing out three draws in their previous meetings.
Praggnanandha now sits on top of the standings, with 5.5 points in three matches. He will take on Hikaru Nakamura in his next fixture, on Thursday evening.
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R Praggnanandha | 5.5 |
| 2 | Fabiano Caruana | 5 |
| 3 | Magnus Carlsen | 3 |
| 4 | Ding Liren | 2.5 |
| 5 | Alireza Firouzja | 2.5 |
| 6 | Hikaru Nakamura | 2.5 |