Kingslayer! R Praggnanandhaa humble Magnus Carlsen for first time in classical chess

OSLO: Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa defeated world rank one Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Norway chess tournament. Praggnanandhaa's first win against Carlsen in the classical chess format led him to the top spot in the tournament with 5.5 points. The surprise defeat on his home turf dropped Carlsen to fifth place.

Meanwhile, in the women's competition, Praggnanandhaa 's sister R. Vaishali topped with 5.5 points. In the third round, Vaishali tied with Anna Olehivna Muzychuk to become the joint first.

Hitherto, Praggnanandhaa had defeated Carlson in the rapid format and blitz format but had to settle for a draw three times in the classical format. Carlson faltered from the very start with some tiny errors that cost him big. Praggnanandhaa meanwhile took advantage of this and adopted an aggressive game.

This is Praggnanandhaa’s second win in the tournament. In the first round, he defeated Iranian grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in a tiebreaker. In the second round, Praggnanandhaa lost to the reigning world champion Ding Liren in a tiebreaker. Six of the world's top players are competing in the Norway Chess Tournament, which will last until June 7.