Praggnanandhaa Faces Caruana in Norway Chess Penultimate Round

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, India's rising star, faces a crucial encounter against Fabiano Caruana of the United States in the penultimate round of the Norway Chess Tournament. The tournament has witnessed Praggnanandhaa's brilliance and resilience, with two Classical victories and two Armageddon wins propelling him to third place.

Praggnanandhaa's highlight has been his stunning triumphs over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and No. 2 Caruana in Classical games. However, he has also faced setbacks in Armageddon matches. Carlsen, with 14.5 points, leads the tournament, followed by American Hikaru Nakamura with 13.5 points. Praggnanandhaa, on 12 points, is third, ahead of Firouzja Alireza of France.

The final round will see Praggnanandhaa face Nakamura, and two draws could secure his place in the world's top 10 rankings. Carlsen faces Alireza in the next round and Caruana in the finale, with Nakamura as the only potential challenger.

In the women's section, Wenjun Ju leads with 14.5 points, followed by Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine. R Vaishali and Tingjie Lei of China share third place. Koneru Humpy is fifth, while Pia Cramling of Sweden is last.

Vaishali faces Lei in the penultimate round, while Humpy plays Ju. Muzychuk meets Cramling, who has performed admirably despite her age.

Tags: #NorwayChess, #Praggnanandhaa, #Caruana, #Chess, #Classical