Norway Chess: R Praggnanandhaa Defeats World Champion Ding Liren In Armegeddon Game

India's new blue-eyed boy in Chess, R Praggnanandhaa continued his remarkable run at the Norway Chess tournament by defeating world champion Ding Liren in the armageddon game on Monday. This victory is the latest in a series of impressive wins for the young Pragnanandhaa, who has already bested higher-ranked opponents like Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in the same tournament.

In their classical game, Ding managed to hold Praggnanandhaa to a draw. However, the armageddon game saw the world champion falter, allowing Praggnanandhaa to secure yet another high-profile victory and extend his streak of upsets.

In another exciting match, Hikaru Nakamura closed in on the tournament leader, Magnus Carlsen. Nakamura won his armageddon game on time, bringing him within just half a point of Carlsen, intensifying the competition at the top of the leaderboard.

Fabiano Caruana's encounter with Alireza Firouzja was a dramatic affair. Caruana's audacious knight sacrifice almost led to a loss, but he managed to salvage a draw in the classical game. However, Firouzja took control in the armageddon game, leaving Caruana without a chance for recovery.

In the women's section, Anna Muzychuk achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first player to win a mini-match against the Women's World Champion, Ju Wenjun. This victory propelled Muzychuk to the top of the Women's Norway Chess leaderboard.

R Vaishali's quest for the title suffered a setback with a defeat in classical chess to Koneru Humpy. Meanwhile, Lei Tingjie added to the tournament's excitement by defeating Pia Cramling in the armageddon game.