Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured his first classical game victory over world number one Magnus Carlsen, taking the lead in the Norway Chess tournament 2024. The 18-year-old, who has previously beaten Carlsen in rapid and exhibition games, now leads with 5.5 points after three rounds. Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa’s win pushed Carlsen to fifth place in the standings. Classical chess, also known as slow chess, allows players a substantial amount of time to make their moves, typically at least one hour.
Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa had drawn their previous three matches in this format.
In the women’s competition, Praggnanandhaa’s sister, R Vaishali, also held the top spot with 5.5 points after drawing her game against Anna Muzychuk.
In other matches, world number two Fabiano Caruana from the USA defeated reigning world champion Ding Liren of China, causing Liren to drop to the bottom of the six-player field.
Additionally, American Hikaru Nakamura won his Armageddon game against Alireza Firouzja of France, earning an extra half point and placing third in the standings. Nakamura will face Praggnanandhaa in the fourth round.