New Delhi: Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa delivered another memorable performance on the international stage after defeating world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in round three of the prestigious Norway Chess tournament in Oslo.
The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three full points and pushed him to 4.5 points overall, moving him into sole second place in the standings. The Indian grandmaster now trails only Alireza Firouzja, who currently leads the tournament with 7.5 points.
Praggnanandhaa’s latest triumph over Carlsen further strengthened his growing reputation as one of the brightest young stars in world chess. The win was especially significant because it came against the Norwegian legend on home soil and in one of the strongest tournaments on the global calendar. It also marked another successful chapter in Praggnanandhaa’s recent performances after his impressive outing at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest before arriving in Oslo.
Interestingly, this was not the first time Praggnanandhaa had defeated Carlsen in the classical format at Norway Chess. The Indian star had also overcome the former world champion during the 2024 edition of the tournament, highlighting his increasing confidence and consistency against elite opposition.
Following the match, Praggnanandhaa described the result as a “really big win” and admitted that he felt fortunate to emerge victorious from such a tense encounter.
Meanwhile, reigning world champion D Gukesh continued to struggle in the tournament after suffering another setback. Gukesh lost to Firouzja in the Armageddon tie-break after their classical game ended in a draw following nearly five hours of play.
The defeat left Gukesh on 3.5 points and in fourth place in the six player Open category. Speaking after the match, the Indian world champion acknowledged that Firouzja had maintained a winning position for most of the game.
Gukesh’s recent performances have drawn attention as he prepares for his upcoming world title defence later this year against challenger Javokhir Sindarov.
Praggnanandhaa’s victory over Carlsen, however, emerged as one of the standout moments of the tournament and reinforced India’s growing dominance in world chess.
