New Delhi, India

India's rising sensation R Praggnanandhaa clinched his first-ever classical win over world number one Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger on Wednesday (May 29). The Indian Grandmaster (GM) took the sole lead in the open section of the six-player tournament following a landmark win at Carlsen's home turf. Playing with white pieces, the 2023 FIDE World Cup runner-up emerged on top by battling the odds to stun Carlsen.

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The 18-year-old took his tally to 5.5 out of 9 points following the third round in the chess tournament in Norway. Meanwhile, America's Grandmaster Fabio Caruana settled for the second spot after taking three full points following a win over GM Ding Liren.

USA's GM Christopher Hikaru Nakamura feels the urge to take more chances against the youngster was the reason for Carlsen's undoing against Praggnanandhaa.

"I wish Magnus would take these chances against me or against Fabi. I have this theory that when Magnus is playing the younger kids specifically he wants to sort of prove a point, he wants to go after them and try to beat them and he takes far more risks than he does against us old folks!" Nakamura was quoted as saying by Chess.com.

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Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa was quoted as saying by Chess.com, "I kind of feel that I have enough experience at this level and I can beat these players, but I have to play my best for that and that’s what I’m trying to do. That’s kind of the mindset."

The win serves as a huge boost for Praggnanandhaa, who had lost the World Cup to Carlsen last year. With this victory, Praggnanandhaa became only the fourth Indian to beat Carlsen in classical chess.