In the eighth round of the Airthings Masters, an online rapid chess tournament, young Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa startled world number one Magnus Carlsen. Early on Monday, Praggnanandhaa won a Tarrasch variation game with black pieces in 39 moves, ending Carlsen’s three-game winning streak.
After eight rounds, the Indian Grandmaster is tied for 12th place with eight points. His stunning triumph over Carlsen follows a mediocre performance in the earlier rounds, which included a single victory over Lev Aronian, two draws, and four losses. Eric Hansen, Ding Liren, Jan-Kryzstof Duda, and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov were his opponents. He drew with Anish Giri and Quang Liem Le and lost against Eric Hansen, Ding Liren, Jan-Kryzstof Duda, and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
Praggnanandhaa defeated 39 moves
Praggnanandhaa won a Tarrasch variation game with black pieces in 39 moves, ending Carlsen’s three-game winning streak. Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, who lost the world championship match to Carlsen of Norway a few months ago, leads the standings with 19 points, followed by Ding Liren and Hansen (both on 15 points). In the early rounds of the Airthings Masters, a 16-person online quick competition, a player receives three points for a win and one point for a tie. In the preliminary round, there are seven more rounds to go.