Norway Chess 2024: Praggnanandhaa Loses Crucial Match Against Carlsen In Round 8, Vaishali Victorious Over Muzychuk

Add as a preferred source on Google

Stavanger (Norway), Jun 5: Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa lost against top seed Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the eighth round of the Norway Chess 2024 tournament here on Tuesday (June 4). Meanwhile, his elder sister, Vaishali, defeated Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine, the overnight leader.

With the win, Carlsen now has 14.5 points, a full point ahead of Hikaru Nakamura of the United States, who lost to Firouzja Alireza of France. World champion Ding Liren of China continued his poor run, losing to Fabiano Caruana of the United States.

Norway Chess 2024: Current Standings In Open Category

With two rounds remaining in the six-player double round-robin tournament, Carlsen leads with 14.5 points, followed by Nakamura with 13.5. Praggnanandhaa is in third place with 12 points, one point ahead of Alireza. Caruana is fifth with nine points, and Liren is last with 4.5 points.

Norway Chess: Women's Section Highlights

In the women's section, world champion Wenjun Ju of China defeated Pia Cramling of Sweden, moving ahead with 14.5 points. Muzychuk remains in second place with 13 points, 1.5 points ahead of Vaishali and Tingjie Lei of China. Koneru Humpy of India is fifth with eight points, 3.5 points more than Cramling.

Armageddon Games

All three games in the men's category ended in draws in the Classical, leading to Armageddon games as per tournament rules. Carlsen could not significantly impact Praggnanandhaa's solid play in the Classical. In the return game, Praggnanandhaa lost several pawns, leading to Carlsen's win.

Armageddon Rules

In Armageddon, the white player has ten minutes compared to the black's seven, but the white needs to win the game. For each win under Classical time control, players are awarded three points. In Armageddon, the winner gets 1.5 points while the loser gets one point.

Nakamura's Position

Nakamura remains within striking distance of Carlsen despite losing to Alireza. For Alireza, it was a good comeback, and he might fancy his chances in the last two rounds.

Norway Chess 2024 Results Round 8

Vaishali's Victory

Vaishali defeated Muzychuk for the second time in the event in the Armageddon. In the Classical game, neither player could gain an advantage, but Vaishali's better-placed rooks helped her win in the Armageddon.

Humpy's Setback

Humpy's hopes of a comeback suffered a setback as she lost to Tingjie Lei. Known for her resilience, Humpy now needs two wins to finish well in the event.