New Delhi: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen bounced back in commanding fashion at the Norway Chess tournament with a dominant victory over reigning world champion D Gukesh, pushing the young Indian to the bottom of the standings after four rounds.
Carlsen, who had struggled during the opening rounds of the tournament, secured a crucial win with the black pieces to climb to fourth place with 4.5 points. In contrast, Gukesh dropped to last position on 3.5 points, continuing a difficult campaign ahead of his world title defence later this year against challenger Javokhir Sindarov.
The Norwegian grandmaster appeared far more composed compared to last year’s emotionally charged encounter against Gukesh. This time, Carlsen steadily built his advantage before clinically converting the position into victory.
After the match, Carlsen admitted he had entered the game without high expectations following a series of disappointing performances earlier in the tournament. He also revealed surprise at Gukesh’s opening approach and felt the Indian pushed too aggressively in search of an advantage that did not exist.
Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa continued his impressive run by defeating Vincent Keymer in the Armageddon tie break after their classical game ended in a draw. The Indian teenager moved to sole second place with six points, remaining the closest challenger to tournament leader Alireza Firouzja.
Firouzja maintained his lead despite losing the Armageddon tie break to Wesley So. The French star still leads the standings comfortably on 8.5 points heading into the tournament’s rest day.
Praggnanandhaa’s consistent performances and calm temperament have made him one of the standout players of the event so far. His upcoming clash against compatriot Gukesh after the break is expected to draw significant attention.
In the women’s section, Divya Deshmukh suffered her first Armageddon defeat of the tournament against defending champion Anna Muzychuk, dropping into a three way tie for third place. Koneru Humpy continued to struggle after another Armageddon loss to Zhu Jiner.
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