Only 7.2 points apart! Magnus Carlsen risks losing world number one after 15 years

Magnus Carlsen (Photo Reuters) Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen faces an unexpected threat to his 15-year stranglehold on the world No.1 ranking, with American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana closing the gap to less than eight rating points after a dramatic turn of events at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot.Carlsen, who has held the number one spot since July 2011, suffered a shock defeat to Armenian Haik Martirosyan on the third day of the Fast Classical competition, which further dented his live ranking and raised the possibility of losing his long-held position.The 35-year-old Norwegian endured a tough campaign in the Fast Classical section, managing five draws and suffering one defeat. The results cost him 15.8 rating points, dropping his live rating to 2807.2.In contrast, Caruana has been in excellent form, winning five games and drawing two to gain 17 rating points. The American climbed to 2800, leaving him just 7.2 points behind Carlsen in the live rankings.While FIDE publishes official monthly rankings, live rankings reflect players’ performances in real time. With the gap rapidly closing, Carlsen’s position at the summit is increasingly under pressure.

Martirosyan stuns Carlsen in first classic meeting

Adding to Carlsen’s woes was Martirosyan, who achieved one of the biggest results of his career when he beat Noro in their first ever FIDE-rated classic encounter.Playing with the white pieces, the Armenian built up a dangerous attacking position and eventually broke through to secure victory in 41 moves. Carlsen found himself in time trouble early in the game and was forced to make hasty decisions as the clock ticked down. A series of mistakes finally left him no choice but to resign.Both players settled for a draw in the reverse match.Martirosyan said of the landmark victory: “It was a dream for me to play with him in a classic game, but to win is even more special. I will think about this moment many times, it is very special for me.”“It was an amazing day and I will remember this day for the rest of my life,” he added.The win and subsequent draw put Martirosyan on 10 points, giving him a clear lead in Group C, while Carlsen slipped to fifth. The first four players from each group advance to the fight for the title, the remaining participants fight for the classification section.

Erigaisi wins, Vaishali opens the account

Meanwhile, India’s Arjun Erigaisi recorded a win and a draw against American GM Wesley So.Erigaisi was under pressure in the opening game, So initially enjoyed a winning position. However, the American refused to draw before committing a decisive error and later resigning his move.“It was an interesting game. In the middle game, I felt I did a very good job by sacrificing the exchange. I made some mistakes as well, but then I got a very good compensation, I had such good control. It shouldn’t have turned out the way it did, then I completely messed it up. I did a good job not to panic,” said Erigaisi.The reverse ended in a draw, leaving the 23-year-old Indian third in Group D behind leaders Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Hans Niemann.R Vaishali also recorded her first win in the Fast Classical section when she defeated Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva with white pieces. However, Vaishali lost their first match of the day and remain at the bottom of Group D.Her brother R Praggnanandhaa continued his winning run after drawing twice against Vladislav Artemiev. The Indian has four points from four draws and two defeats.