Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has joined a highly exclusive club of chess players following a historic victory over the legendary Magnus Carlsen in the eighth round of Norway Chess. Having already beaten Carlsen with white in the third round, the 20-year-old from Chennai scored an even more impressive win by pulling off the same feat with black.
This incredible feat follows the performance of the player at the 2024 championship, where he similarly overcame the great Carlsen.
It is noteworthy that it is the first time in the history of classical chess that in one tournament someone has defeated Carlsen twice. This last happened to be done by India's greatest chess player, Viswanathan Anand, who defeated Carlsen twice in the Linares International Chess Tournament in 2007.
Despite the magnitude of his achievement, the young prodigy is refusing to get caught up in the surrounding hysteria, keeping his focus firmly on the broader tournament standings. Speaking to ChessBase India after the match, Praggnanandhaa emphasised that winning a game at this crucial stage of the tournament was far more important to him than the individual status of his opponent.
Looking back at the game, the Indian Grandmaster highlighted Carlsen’s outstanding defensive abilities, saying that despite the huge pressure, the former World Champion found his way to play the right moves. According to Praggnanandhaa, it was evident from the outset that the game was going to be a draw since Carlsen played defense so beautifully, which is why his blunder came as a shock.
Reflecting on his performance during the last few stages of the game, Praggnanandhaa was optimistic about his playing style currently but admitted that time management remained his biggest weakness. Recently, he found himself in some difficult time scrambles, so it became very important for him to save time and continue playing aggressively.
Following a rest day, the Chennai-born grandmaster will return to the board for the final two rounds. His next challenge is a highly anticipated clash against the reigning World Champion, D Gukesh, before he faces Germany's Vincent Keymer in the final round. Praggnanandhaa currently sits third in the standings with 12 points, closely chasing tournament leader Wesley So on 14 points and Alireza Firouzja on 13 points, leaving him well within contention for a tournament triumph.
Also read: Norway chess: Pragg, Gukesh, Divya keep India's title hopes alive
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