Carlsen Extends Lead in Norway Chess, Indian Duo Faces Setbacks

In the ongoing Norway Chess tournament, the Indian duo of R Praggnanandhaaa and R Vaishali faced setbacks in their respective sections. Meanwhile, world champion Magnus Carlsen extended his lead to 12 points, securing the sole lead after defeating Ding Liren.

Praggnanandhaaa's hopes were dashed by Firouzja Alireza of France in the Armageddon tiebreaker. Despite a challenging Classical game, Praggnanandhaa faltered in the return game, allowing Alireza to claim victory.

In the women's section, Vaishali suffered a loss to world champion Wenjun Ju of China. Ju's technical prowess and endgame strategy proved too strong for Vaishali.

Carlsen, however, maintained his dominance, capitalizing on his double Bishops to launch an attack on Ding Liren's king side. A blunder by Liren allowed Carlsen to finish the game with a queen sacrifice.

Fabiano Caruana also contributed to Carlsen's lead by defeating compatriot Hikaru Nakamura. Carlsen now leads the tournament with 12 points, followed by Nakamura with 11 points. Praggnanandhaa remains in third place with 9.5 points.

In the women's section, Wenjun Ju and Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine share the lead with 10.5 points each. Vaishali is now in third place with 10 points, while Koneru Humpy suffered another loss to Pia Cramling of Sweden.

With four rounds remaining in both sections, the tournament remains highly competitive. Carlsen is the clear favorite in the men's section, while the women's section is still wide open.

Tags: #MagnusCarlsen, #NorwayChess, #RPraggnanandhaaa, #RVaishali, #DingLiren