Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa pulled off another major upset at Armageddon by defeating world champion Ding Liren in the seventh round of the Norway chess 2024 tournament in Stavanger on Monday.
Also Read: Norway Chess 2024: R Praggnanandhaa creates history by defeating world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen
This was Praggnanandhaa's third win against higher-ranked players in the Norway Chess 2024 tournament. Earlier, he had defeated Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Praggnanandhaa will face leader Carlsen in the 8th round.
Praggnanandhaa is at third place
In another classical play, Magnus Carlsen lost his Armageddon game against Hikaru Nakamura. On the other hand, Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja drew their Armageddon game. After the seventh round, Carlsen remains on top with 13 points. Nakamura is at second place with 12 points, while Praggnanandhaa is at third place with 11 points.
Although Liren managed to hold Praggnanandhaa to a draw in the classical game, the Chinese grandmaster succumbed to defeat in the armageddon game, resulting in the 18-year-old Indian grandmaster's victory.
Vaishali lost to compatriot Koneru Humpy
Meanwhile, R Vaishali suffered her second consecutive defeat as she lost to compatriot Koneru Humpy. Humpy registered her first win in the Norway Chess 2024 event. After that, Vaishali remains at third position with 11 points. Anna Muzychuk is on top with 12 points, while Ju Wenjun is in second place with 11.5 points. Humpy remains in the fifth position despite Monday's win. She now has eight points. Vaishali will next face Anna Muzychuk in the 8th round.
Lei Tingjie beat Pia Cramling in the armageddon game to retain her fourth spot. Sweden's Cramling is languishing at the bottom of the leaderboard with 5.5 points.
Norway Chess 2024: Main Event
Magnus Carlsen vs Praggnanandhaa R; Ding Liren vs Fabiano Caruana; Alireza Firouzja vs Hikaru Nakamura
Norway Chess 2024: Women’s Tournament
Vaishali R vs Anna Muzychuk; Ju Wenjun vs Pia Cramling; Lei Tingjie vs Koneru Humpy