Carlsen Defeats Praggnanandhaa in Norway Chess Armageddon
World Champion Carlsen strengthens lead; Ju Wenjun leads women's event
Stavanger – Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa faced a tough defeat against world number one Magnus Carlsen in the Armageddon game during the eighth round of the Norway Chess Tournament on Tuesday.
With this victory, Carlsen extended his lead in the tournament to a full point, securing 14.5 points. Hikaru Nakamura remains in second place with 13.5 points, while Praggnanandhaa holds third place with 11 points. Nakamura triumphed over Firouzja in classical chess, while world champion Ding Liren, despite having two winning positions, ultimately lost to Fabiano Caruana in the Armageddon tiebreaker.
In the women's event, world champion Ju Wenjun emerged victorious in her classical game against Pia Cramling, taking the lead in the standings. Lei Tingjie defeated GM Koneru Humpy for her first classical win, and previous leader Anna Muzychuk lost to Vaishali Rameshbabu in Armageddon.
With two rounds remaining, Ju Wenjun leads with 14.5 points, followed by Muzychuk with 13 points, and Vaishali in third place with 11.5 points.