In the eighth round of the Airthings Masters quick online chess competition, R Praggnanandhaa stunned world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway. The 16-year-old chess Grandmaster achieved the feat after losing 3 games.
Following a dismal Day One in which he lost three consecutive games, 16-year-old chess Grandmaster R Praggnandhaa stunned world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the eighth round of the Airthings Masters rapid online chess competition on Monday. Praggnanandhaa, the fifth-youngest Grandmaster ever, won in 39 moves in a Tarrasch variation game versus Carlsen, who was 31 at the time. As a result, he ended Carlsen’s three-game winning streak.
After eight rounds, the Indian, who won the World Youth Chess Championships U-8 championship in 2013, earning him the title of FIDE Master at the age of seven, has eight points and is tied for 12th place.
Praggnanandhaa currently has two wins, two draws, and four losses after his Carlsen victory. Praggnanandhaa was drawn in the first round with Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem and lost against Canadian Eric Hensen, Chinese Ding Liren, and Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda on Sunday.
On Monday, he drew with Dutch player Anish Giri and lost to Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. With 19 points, Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi leads the standings.
In the preliminary rounds, the Airthings Masters uses a 16-player online quick format in which the winner receives three points while a draw gives him only one. There are seven more rounds to go, in the preliminary round.
