Carlsen may not have seemed unbeatable in this year’s iteration, as competitors increasingly expose unusual weaknesses in his play. Yet, defeating the seven-time champion on home turf remains one of the most formidable challenges in global chess.
Praggnanandhaa, buoyed by his recent victory at the Superbet Chess Classic Romania in Bucharest, displayed impressive composure on Wednesday night against the five-time classical world champion in a nail-biting time scramble, elevating him to second place with 4.5 points.
In an unusual twist, Carlsen finds himself at the bottom of the six-player standings with merely 1.5 points. This victory also marked Praggnanandhaa’s second classical win over the Norwegian icon at Norway Chess, having previously stunned him in the 2024 edition.
Meanwhile, Firouzja continued to shine in the tournament with his outstanding form, defeating D. Gukesh in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a tie, earning 1.5 points and moving to 7.5 overall.
Firouzja, still dealing with the repercussions of an injury from the Superbet Chess Classic Romania, exited the venue in a wheelchair and sporting a moon boot after yet another intense match.
Despite visible discomfort, with his injured right leg awkwardly propped on a chair and mobility limited, Firouzja demonstrated that pain can be overcome when the goal is clear.
Gukesh later shared that he was completely engrossed in the game but couldn’t convert his opportunities into a victory against the French player, quickly departing the venue and offering little explanation on his concerning dip in form, which has placed him fourth with 3.5 points.
Meanwhile, Firouzja’s remarkable winning streak continued as he rallied from a losing position to triumph in Armageddon after a wild and chaotic time scramble.
Gukesh’s challenges occur at an inconvenient time for the reigning champion, who is gearing up for his world title match later this year against challenger Javokhir Sindarov.
Praggnanandhaa equaled Carlsen in an intense time scramble from which the Norwegian legend could not recover, though the young Indian acknowledged that the match could easily have tipped the other way, as the Norwegian also had winning chances at one point.
“Honestly, this isn’t a game to celebrate too much! In these time scrambles, it’s essentially like flipping a coin. It could have gone Magnus’ way or mine, so it’s not something to be overly proud of. I’m glad I played well in the first half; I maintained control, but in this time control, it can swing either way,” said Praggnanandhaa.
Carlsen later returned to admit he had spent 28 minutes considering the seemingly standard 8…Nc6, deeply contemplating the sharper 8…Nxe4!? before ultimately deciding against it.
“I just chickened out a little at the end, which is a bit disappointing,” he confessed.
All eyes will turn to Thursday’s fourth round, where Carlsen and Gukesh are scheduled for a highly anticipated clash.
The women’s section remains fiercely competitive, with players tightly clustered in the standings and no clear leader emerging yet.
Divya Deshmukh again demonstrated her poise in the tiebreaks, securing her third Armageddon victory of the tournament — this time against tournament leader Bibisara Assaubayeva — bringing her total to 4.5 points.
The young Indian, now in second place, has narrowed the gap on the Kazakh player, who still leads the field with 5.5 points.
Koneru Humpy’s difficult streak showed no signs of abating, as the Indian stalwart and two-time world rapid champion lost to defending champion Anna Muzychuk.
Humpy now finds herself at the bottom of the standings in sixth place with only two points, facing a frustrating start to the tournament.
Results (Round 3): Open: D Gukesh (Ind, 3.5 points) lost to Alireza Firouzja (Fra 7.5); R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 4.5) bt Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 1.5); Vincent Keymer (Ger, 3) lost to Wesley So (USA, 4).
Women: Koneru Humpy (Ind, 2) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 4); Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz, 5.5) lost to Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 4.5); Ju Wenjun (Chn, 3) lost to Jhu Jiner (Chn, 4).
