Norway Chess 2024: R Praggnanandhaa stuns World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, Vaishali extends lead

India’s R Praggnanandhaa defeated the world number two Fabiano Caruana in the fifth round of the Norway Chess tournament at Stavanger on Saturday night.

This victory meant that the Indian had defeated both the top two players in classical chess, propelling him into the top ten of the FIDE World Rankings.

In the fourth round, Praggnanandhaa lost to America’s Hikaru Nakamura halting his momentum after defeating the World No 1 Magnus Carlsen for the first time in a classical game in the previous round.

Praggnanandhaa’s sister, Vaishali extended her lead by keeping China’s Lei Tingjie in check. After five rounds, the 22-year-old India is the table topper with compatriot Koneru Humpy languishing in fifth after losing to World Champion Ju Wenjun of China, who succeeded in winning all five matches she has played in this tournament so far.

The open category saw Nakamura reach 2800 rating points for the first time in nine years after handing a third defeat in a row to World Champion Ding Liren. This win ensured the American the World No 2 spot after Caruana’s consecutive loss in the tournament.