Stavanger [Norway]: R Praggnanandhaa continued his winning runs as he upset world champion Ding Liren in the armageddon game at the Norway Chess Tournament. Praggnanandhaa's victory came after he defeated higher-ranked players including Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana earlier in the competition.
Ding Liren fell in the armageddon game, allowing the young Indian prodigy to secure another high-profile triumph, despite drawing with Praggnanandhaa in the traditional game. Praggnanandhaa has recently made headlines by defeating Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in quick succession. However, world champion Ding Liren's death demonstrated that he was far from finished slaying giants.
Hikaru Nakamura moved closer to tournament leader Magnus Carlsen in another nail-biting battle. Nakamura won the armageddon thriller on time, closing the gap to just half a point behind Carlsen. The match between Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja was a roller coaster of emotions. Caruana's brave knight sacrifice almost backfired, but he managed to salvage a draw in the classical game. However, Firouzja dominated the Armageddon game, leaving Caruana with no chance of recovery.
Recently Praggnanandhaa has been the recipient of effusive praise from several quarters for his prowess on 64 squares. Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani lauded Indian teen chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa following his stunning victory over world number one Magnus Carlsen in classical chess, while chairman of Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, also praised Prag.
Earlier, after his victory at the FIDE World Cup, Prag was praised by former World Champion and Chess icon Gary Kasparov who said Prag had been very tenacious in difficult positions.
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