R Praggnanandhaa outplayed Magnus Carlsen in Round 3 of the ongoing Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger. The Indian GM claimed three full points and came out on top in a tense time scramble to climb to second position with 4.5 points. Meanwhile, Carlsen is at the bottom of the six-player standings with only 1.5 points.
This was also Praggnanandhaa’s second classical victory over Carlsen, having earlier bagged a win during the 2024 edition.
The 20-year-old battled Carlsen in a tense time scramble, but the Norwegian failed to recover. Speaking after the game, Praggnanandhaa claimed that Carlsen also had the chance to win it.
‘Not a game to celebrate too much about!’
“Honestly, this is not a game to celebrate too much about! In these time scrambles it’s basically like tossing a coin. It could have gone Magnus’ way or my way, so it’s not something to be extremely proud of or anything. I’m happy that I played well in the first half, I was playing with control, but in this time control it can go either way,” he said.
Carlsen admitted in the confession box that he spent 28 minutes over 8…Nc6, considering 8…Nxe4!?, before deciding against it.
Carlsen remarked, “I just wimped out a little bit at the end, which is a little bit sad.”
On the other hand, D Gukesh’s poor run continued as he lost to Alireza Firouzja in the Armageddon game after a draw.
Now the spotlight will be on Thursday’s fourth round, where Carlsen and Gukseh will take on each other in a blockbuster showdown. Last year, Gukesh sealed a dramatic win against Carlsen in this tournament, and the Norwegian was left fuming, slamming the table in reaction.
But this time, after losing to Praggnanandhaa, he maintained his calm composure. He looked disappointed, but there were no theatrics.
Here is the video:
The women’s section has also been entertaining, with players tightly packed in the standings. Divya Deshmukh got her third Armageddon victory of the tournament, this time against leader Bibisara Assaubayeva, moving to 4.5 points. Deshmukh is now second, narrowing the gap on Bibisara, who leads with 5.5 points. Meanwhile, Koneru Humpy’s difficult run continued as she lost to defending champion Anna Muzychuk. She is at the bottom of the standings, in sixth place.
