Praggnanandhaa Wins Classical Game, Gukesh Takes Armageddon Victory at Norway Chess
OSLO — Indian chess star Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated Alireza Firouzja in classical play, while world champion D. Gukesh beat Wesley So in Armageddon during the seventh round of Norway Chess.
Praggnanandhaa outplayed Firouzja in a long contest and converted his advantage with confident technique, earning a crucial victory as the race at the top of the standings tightened. The result marked Firouzja’s second classical defeat of the tournament.
Gukesh and So drew their classical game after a tense battle. Gukesh then won the Armageddon game to collect the additional points.
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer also played to a hard-fought classical draw after a lengthy encounter in which neither player was able to break through. Carlsen later won the Armageddon game, securing extra points and keeping himself within reach of the tournament leaders.
After seven rounds, So continued to lead the tournament with 12.5 points. Firouzja remained second with 10 points, while Carlsen, Keymer and Praggnanandhaa were close behind with 9 points each.
In the women’s section, Humpy Koneru and Divya Deshmukh drew their classical game after a tense battle. Divya then won the Armageddon game with the black pieces, securing the extra points and strengthening her position as Bibisara Assaubayeva’s closest challenger.
Assaubayeva delivered the biggest result of the day in Norway Chess Women, scoring a classical victory over Zhu Jiner to extend her lead at the top of the standings.
Playing with the white pieces, Assaubayeva took control after a difficult middlegame and converted her advantage with confidence. The full three points gave the Kazakh grandmaster a significant boost as the tournament entered its final stretch.
Reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun and Anna Muzychuk also drew their classical game after a closely contested matchup. Muzychuk later defeated Ju in Armageddon, earning important additional points and staying near the top of the table.
After round seven, Assaubayeva led Norway Chess Women with 12.5 points. Divya remained second with 10 points, while Muzychuk was close behind with 9.5 points. (Source: IANS)
