Norwegian Chess: D Gukesh outfoxes R Praggnanandhaa, Magnus Carlsen loses again; Divya Deshmukh now the only leader

Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen and Divya Deshmukh (photo by Michal Walusza for Norwegian Chess) NEW DELHI: After a disappointing Thursday when Dommaraju Gukesh tasted the bitterness of defeat to world number one and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in the reigning world champion’s last match as a teenager, Gukesh returned to the board on Saturday for a round 9 clash against compatriot grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa.Gukesh celebrated his 20th birthday on Friday, when Norwegian Chess celebrated its first day of rest. Call it coincidence or luck in his early 20s, but the reigning world champion bounced back from a poor start to beat compatriot R Praggnanandhaa under the panoramic roof of Oslo’s Deichman Bjørvika Library on Saturday. In Saturday’s fight, Gukesh found himself at the bottom of the pack with 3.5 points. However, with this crucial win over Pragg, the 20-year-old, who will defend his World Championship crown this year against Uzbekistan’s Javikhir Sindarov, climbed to third in the rankings, just 3.5 points behind tournament leader Alireza Firouzja.The all-India clash on the chessboard perfectly illustrated the enduring charm of classical chess. Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa gained space with an advanced c5-c6 pawn chain and active queen play. However, Gukesh responded vigorously in the center with 32…e5 and launched a kingside attack with 34…g5 and 37…g4. The critical phase of the game began after 33.d5, when Black’s attack quickly accelerated. Gukesh sacrificed initiative material to open the white kingside hide and launched a decisive offensive after 46.Kxf3 Bh5+ 47.Kf2 Qg3+.Under heavy time pressure, Black’s active pieces and direct threats proved overwhelming. Praggnanandhaa never seemed to be in a position to recover after losing his way in an intense time warp.“What can I say, just a very complex game … luckily the tricks kind of worked out for me,” Gukesh said after the win. This marked Gukesh’s first classic win in the tournament and also his very first triumph as a 20-year-old.Divya Deshmukh is coming back in styleLike Gukesh, India’s Divya Deshmukh also endured a tough outing just before the rest day. The 20-year-old grandmaster, who had otherwise shown commendable form throughout the tournament, let an advantageous position slip through her fingers in a classic draw before losing an Armageddon tie-break to defending Norwegian chess champion Anna Muzychuk.As a result, redemption was top priority for Divya on Saturday. She did just that, securing her first classic win of the tournament, defeating Zhu Jiner in a grueling 84-move encounter. Divya played with the black pieces and defended the opening tenaciously. The game remained roughly even during the early middle game, but Divya gradually improved her piece placement and neutralized White’s initiative. The definitive breakthrough came after 41.Nxa4, when Black beautifully activated his rook with 42…Re2+ and 43…Rxh2. From that moment on, the black rook and knight completely outnumbered the white bishop, creating a very favorable ending that Divya flawlessly turned into a win.With this win, Divya broke away to become the sole leader of the tournament with 8.5 points.She will next face world champion Ju Wenjun on Sunday in a highly-anticipated rematch of their first round match where Divya previously defeated the Chinese grand champion at Armageddon.Elsewhere: Magnus Carlsen suffers third classic defeat; Koneru Humpy secures the first winIt was another lackluster day at the office for world number one and local hero Magnus Carlsen, who suffered his third classic loss of the tournament at the hands of Wesley So in a Round 5 match. Carlsen is now at the bottom of the table with 4.5 points after the defeat. Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja defeated German No. 1 Vincent Keymer in an Armageddon tie-break to maintain his position as the sole leader of the open section.Koneru Humpy secured a breath of fresh air as she claimed her first tournament win by defeating World Women’s Chess Champion Ju Wenjun at Armageddon.Anna Muzychuk outclassed Bibisara Assaubayev in their Armageddon tie-break to maintain third place on the points table with 7 points.