Norwegian Chess: R Practice the humble Magnus Carlsen one more time; Gukesh, Divya Deshmukh suffers classic losses

Magnus Carlsen, R Praggnanandhaa, Divya Deshmukh and D Gukesh (photo by Michal Walusza for Norwegian Chess) NEW DELHI: When you flip through an English dictionary to find the meaning of the word ‘cliché’, it tells you that a cliché is nothing but a phrase or an idea that has been so overused that it no longer holds its original meaning. At the 14th edition of Norwegian Chess in Oslo, the sense of shock and disappointment associated with the defeat faced by Magnus Carlsen became a bit of a cliché. The result itself no longer really creates that sense of shock or disappointment.In Round 8 of the tournament on Tuesday, when Indian grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated the local hero for the second time in two weeks in classical chess, it felt as if all the world number one and five-time world champion needed at that moment was a place to hide his face. In a game that began with the clear intention of avenging his previous defeat, Carlsen, playing with white pieces, suffered his fourth loss in classical games of the tournament. This drastically shocking run of form now sees the 35-year-old second last on nine points.Across the board, in a sharp French defense, Praggnanandhaa, playing for Black, took structural damage early but gained active piece play and central control. Carlsen’s kingside security became a recurring problem after 14.Kf1. Black gradually coordinated his rooks, bishops and queens to seize the initiative, winning the exchange of keys and maintaining relentless pressure. Despite Carlsen’s long resistance, Pragg converted his activity into a dominant attack in the endgame, forcing Carlsen to blunder with 48.Kf4. The game lasted 50 moves as the Indian grandmaster remained firmly in contention for the Norwegian chess crown with rounds remaining.“It’s more important for the tournament that I got this win than to think it’s Magnus. Of course it’s great to do it against Magnus, but I think winning any match at this stage of the tournament is good,” said the 20-year-old, who is currently second on 12 points.

Gukesh and Divya Deshmukh face classic defeats

The reigning world champion, like Carlsen, failed to show his best chess in this tournament, resulting in another classic loss, this time against Grandmaster Alirez Firouzj. In a game that lasted 61 moves, Gukesh, playing with black pieces, was completely overwhelmed after forgetting his preparation.In the Ragozin defense, Gukesh’s ambitious kingside expansion (8…g5, 10…h5) created an imbalance but left long-term weaknesses.“I came up with this new 7…Bf5, but I think he reacted in the best possible way, and I just forgot to prepare and I’m pretty sure I messed something up,” Gukesh later admitted. Alireza took advantage of the tactical opportunity and won a pawn with 12.Qxb7. After simplifying into rook endings, he constantly improved his king activity and piece placement.Gukesh’s counterplay faded as Alirez’s active rook and dangerous g-pawn generated decisive threats and turned the advantage into a well-controlled classic victory. With this win, Alireza remains second with 13 points behind sole tournament leader Wesley So who is on 14. However, Gukesh remains last with just eight points.In the women’s section, Divya Deshmukh had a similarly damning experience as Gukesh as women’s tournament leader Bibisara Assaubayeva earned a classic victory over the Indian.After a closed Sicilian, Divya built up early queen pressure and won material, earning herself a favorable position in the middle game. However, Bibisara remained very active. The game turned completely after Black’s central break with 35…e4 and a strong back-up of 39…e3, which opened ranks against White’s king. Bibisara played energetically, coordinating her queen, rook and bishop into a direct attack. White’s pieces were completely tied up defensively, and Black’s initiative culminated in a decisive king attack that produced a remarkable classic victory for the Kazakh grandmaster, who now continues to lead the tournament with 15.5 points. On the other hand, Divya, who was second before this match, slipped to third place with 10 points.

Elsewhere: Koneru Humpy takes victory at Armageddon, Wesley So keeps lead intact

Koneru Humpy, who has struggled with her chess this tournament, drew her classic game against Anna Muzychuk before drawing with Black to secure an Armageddon tie-break victory. Meanwhile, China’s Zhu Jiner completed a decisive classic victory over her compatriot and women’s world champion Ju Wenjun.In the open section, the only armageddon of the day came in the match between So and Vincent Keymer, where So secured victory to stay one point at the top of the table.