Norway Chess: Carlsen Extends Lead, Praggnanandhaa Loses in Armageddon

Norway Chess 2024: Carlsen Extends Lead, Praggnanandhaa Loses in Armageddon

The Norway Chess tournament is nearing its conclusion, with the stakes reaching unprecedented heights. In the main event, all classical games of Round 9 ended in draws, forcing an Armageddon tie-breaker to determine the match winners.

India's Praggnanandhaa R suffered a setback in Armageddon against Fabiano Caruana, who now has a slim chance of claiming the title. Caruana must defeat Hikaru Nakamura in the final round and hope that Magnus Carlsen loses his game against Caruana.

Carlsen, the five-time World Champion, extended his lead with an Armageddon victory over Alireza Firouzja in Round 9. A win in the final round would secure him the tournament outright. Nakamura, who lost to Ding Liren in Armageddon, needs to win his last game with Black against Praggnanandhaa to remain in contention.

In the women's tournament, Lei Tingjie secured the only classical win of the day against Vaishali R. The Chinese GM's decisive victory with the white pieces in 30 moves has significantly boosted her chances of winning the tournament in the final round.

Ju Wenjun, the Women's World Champion, defeated Koneru Humpy in Armageddon to take a 1.5-point lead in the competition. Anna Muzychuk also registered a tie-break win over Pia Cramling.

With the tournament reaching its final round, only 1.5 points separate Wenjun, Tingjie, and Muzychuk at the top of the table in the women's tournament. The inaugural edition of the Norway Chess 2024 Women's Tournament is poised for a thrilling finish.

Tags: #NorwayChess, #MagnusCarlsen, #FabianoCaruana, #PraggnanandhaaR, #HikaruNakamura