Indian teenage chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa made headlines in the Norway Chess competition by defeating world number two Fabiano Caruana in round five of the classical chess game on Saturday night. This victory follows his earlier win against world number one Magnus Carlsen in round three, marking the first time he has defeated both top players in classical chess. His impressive performance has propelled him into the top ten of the FIDE World Rankings.
The official Norway Chess handle on X celebrated his achievement: “PRAGG IS BACK! Young prodigy Praggnanandhaa stuns the chess world again by defeating World No.2 Fabiano Caruana in Round 5! After toppling World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 3, he’s now beaten the top two players in classical chess for the first time ever, rocketing into the top 10! What a tournament for the Indian prodigy #NorwayChess.”
In round four, Praggnanandhaa faced a setback, losing to America’s Hikaru Nakamura, who outmaneuvered him with superior preparation. Meanwhile, Pragg’s sister, Vaishali, continued her strong performance, defeating Pia Cramling and extending her lead to 8.5 points. Indian Women’s Grandmaster Humpy Koneru lost to Anna Muzychuk, and Ju Wenjun triumphed over Lie Tengjie in an Armageddon tiebreak.
Local hero Carlsen narrowly defeated Caruana, capitalizing on a blunder by Caruana in the endgame. Alireza Firouzja also made headlines by defeating reigning World Champion Ding Liren.
Norway Chess 2024, featuring both men’s and women’s tournaments, began on May 27 and will continue until June 7 at SpareBank 1 SR-Bank. The event showcases top players in a 6-player double round-robin format with equal prize funds, promoting gender equality in chess.