Stavanger [Norway], June 5 : It was a day of stalemates in the Norway Chess tournament with some brilliant defensive moves coming from across different matches. As the tournament nears conclusion, the results from Round 8 set the tone for a much-anticipated final two rounds.
Both Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women saw intense battles, strategic plays, and key victories that have reshaped the leaderboard and heightened the competition.
In the most anticipated match of the round, Indian chess sensation Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu held his ground firm against Magnus Carlsen. The youngster displayed some exceptional defensive moves to save the day and stay in contention for the title.
His Norwegian counterpart, however, remains on top of the standings with 14.5 points, followed by Hikaru Nakamura at 13.5 points who featured in one of the most complicated games of the day against Alireza Firouzja. Meanwhile, the game between World Champion Ding Liren and Fabiano Caruana also ended in a draw.
In Norway Women's Chess tournament, Pia Cramling picked up the only classical win of the day against Pia Cramling, to move to the top of the table with 14.5 points. She is succeeded in the standings by Anna Muzychuk at 13 points, who was held to a draw by India's Vaishali Rameshbabu. Emulating her brother's performance on the day, Vaishali, too, showed great defensive work to keep herself afloat in the game. In the Armaggedon tiebreak, the Indian player grabbed extra points as the game headed into a time scramble. Elsewhere in another gripping tie, Lei Tingjie picked up a win against Koneru Humpy. The loss, unfortunately, means a huge dent to Humpy's hopes of winning the tournament.
Round 9 Pairings
Norway Chess Main Event
Alireza Firouzja vs Magnus Carlsen; Hikaru Nakamura vs Ding Liren; Fabiano Caruana vs Praggnanandhaa R.
Norway Chess Women's Tournament
Lei Tingjie vs Vaishali R; Koneru Humpy vs Ju Wenjun; Pia Cramling vs Anna Muzychuk.
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