Norway Chess: Praggnanandhaa seals 2nd classical win; Vaishali continues to lead

STAVANGER (NORWAY) — After a rest day, the thrilling action continued at the Norway Chess 2024, being held at the SpareBank 1 SR-Bank in Stavanger. The brother-sister duo Praggnanandhaa R and Vaishali R continued their winning ways as they earned crucial points in round 5 of the tournament.

While Vaishali kept the lead in the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament by checkmating GM Lei Tingjie in Armageddon tie-breaker, Praggnanandhaa registered his second classical win in the competition as he defeated the world no. 2 Fabiano Caruana.

Meanwhile, in the Norway Chess main event, Hikaru Nakamura extended his lead after his win over world champion Ding Liren. For the first time in nine years, Nakamura is rated over 2800 after handing a third defeat in a row to Liren, who is out of the top ten in the live rating lists.

In another exciting match, Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious over Alireza Firouzja in a classical game. Carlsen, with a total of 9 points, is just a point behind Nakamura in the tournament, while Pragg is in third with 8.5 points.

In the Women’s Tournament, Anna Muzychuk’s second classical win in a row, this time over GM Pia Cramling, put her in sole second place, just a point behind the leader Vaishali, who has earned 10 points so far.

Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun defeated India’s Koneru Humpy in Armageddon. With this win, Wenjun has won all five matches in Armageddon, finding herself in third place at the halfway stage.

As the tournament progresses, the competition is only expected to intensify with seven rounds to go. The dynamic nature of Norway Chess continues to captivate audiences, promising more excitement and dramatic turns in the days ahead.

Round 6 Pairings

Norway Chess Main Event

Magnus Carlsen vs Ding Liren; Alireza Firouzja vs Praggnanandhaa R; Hikaru Nakamura vs Fabiano Caruana

Norway Chess Women’s Tournament

Vaishali R vs Ju Wenjun; Lei Tingjie vs Anna Muzychuk; Koneru Humpy vs Pia Cramling