12th Norway Chess R5: Praggnanandhaa outplays Fabiano Caruana in the endgame, now World no.10
R Praggnanandhaa outplayed Fabiano Caruana (USA) to become World no.10 in the live ratings. In the fifth round of 12th Norway Chess, the teenager channeled Magnus Carlsen (NOR) by grinding an equal knight endgame. When the World no.2 crumbled, Praggnanandhaa had no trouble converting his advantage into a win. He now has a Classical win over both World no.1 and 2 and he achieved within a span of three days. Magnus also grinded an equal endgame against Alireza Firouzja (FRA) who made an elementary mistake in the rook endgame. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) had no trouble to beat the reigning World Champion, Ding Liren (CHN) to become World no.2 in live ratings. Round 6 starts today from 5 p.m. CET, 8:30 p.m. IST. Photos: Norway Chess/Stev Bonhage
Three impactful decisive Classical games, Nakamura now World no.2
The fifth round of 12th Norway Chess 2024 was an eventful one. Not only in terms of three decisive Classical games but also in the live ratings and rankings. Hikaru Nakamura moved to World no.2 and R Praggnananadhaa World no.10 in the live ratings.
Carlsen - Firouzja: 3-0
The last Classical game between Magnus Carlsen (NOR, 2830) and Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 2737) was at the very same event, nearly a year ago. It ended in a draw. Then Magnus went on to win the Armageddon. This time they will play at least two Classical games. Firouzja opted for the Berlin Defence with the black pieces in Ruy Lopez in their first Classical game. It liquidated into a dry rook and three vs two pawns endgame.
Ideally, it should end in a draw. However, when you are playing against the person who manages to squeeze a win from these equal positions, the odds of survival drastically reduces by a lot.
Firouzja's greatest weakness is endgame, especially pawn endgames. It has been his Achilles' hill for quite some time. In the above position, he decided to trade the rooks which is instant loss for Black. Maybe he felt that losing the h6-pawn will mean it will be a loss for him anyway. Instead, 77...Rb2 78.Rxh6 Kg7 79.Rg6+ Kf7 80.Ra6 Re2+ and Black can salvage a draw with incessant checks. 77...Rxd6 78.Kxd6 Kf7 79.Ke5 Ke7 80.f6+ Kf8 81.Kf4 Ke8 82.Ke4 and Black resigned as White completes triangulation in the next move Ke5 forcing Black to give up the h6-pawn.
Liren - Nakamura: 0-3
The last Classical rated game between Ding Liren (CHN, 2762) and Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 2794) took place in the final round of FIDE Candidates 2022. Nakamura lost that game, Liren won the tournament and went on to become the world champion. He has not been the same since then. Nakamura obviously is well aware of that fact.
25...Bf2+ is the obvious move for Black. He wants to ensure that he keeps the rooks on the board and continue the attack. White's position is worse, there are no second thoughts about it. However, 26.Kxf2 Rxd2+ 27.Kg1 Rhd8 28.Rcc1 would have been better than what actually happened in the game. 26.Kd1 Rxc3 27.Bxc3 Rd8 28.Ra1 Bf1 29.g3 Be3 Black got a firm grip on the position with his rook and bishop pair, soon turned into a rook and opposite color bishop endgame. It was evident that Black will win eventually.
Praggnanandhaa - Caruana: 3-0
Going into this game, R Praggnanandhaa (2747) had not beaten Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2805) in a Classical rated game. He even lost the last Classical encounter against him at the FIDE Candidates 2024 last month. However, the teenager should be full of confidence because he defeated Caruana in an almost flawless game at FIDE World Cup 2023 in their third Rapid tie-break game. That is certainly a haunting memory for the American.
The above position seems to be heading towards a draw after 39.Rxe7 Kxe7. Right? Well, gone are the days when top players facing an equal endgame lead to a draw almost always. Thanks to Magnus Carlsen for showing the way that grinding an equal endgame can lead to victories.
Black is at a crossroads. Where should Black move his king? There is only one correct move. Caruana could not find the precise defense and played 66...Kf6 67.Nf5 Ke6 68.Kd4 Kf6 69.Nxh6 and White won the game in the next few moves.
Magnus Carlsen's best friends, Askild and Odin are attempting a Guinness World Record at Norway Chess for longest chess marathon
The World no.1 also made a couple of tweets on his favorite team Real Madrid's Champions League 2023-24 triumph
Replay live stream
Replay Round 5 games
Round 5 results
Magnus Carlsen - Alireza Firouzja: 3-0
Ding Liren - Hikaru Nakamura: 0-3
Praggnanandhaa - Fabiano Caruana: 3-0
Standings after Round 5
Hikaru Nakamura - 10/15
Magnus Carlsen - 9/15
Praggnanandhaa - 8.5/15
Alireza Firouzja - 6.5/15
Fabiano Caruana - 5/15
Ding Liren - 2.5/15
Round 6 pairings
Format
6 players will take part in the Tournament.
The Tournament is a double-round event with Armageddon.
The Tournament consists of 10 rounds.
Time Control
Each player will have 120 minutes on the clock with an increment of 10 seconds starting from move 41. The time control for the Armageddon game: white has 10 minutes and black has 7 minutes with an increment for both players of 1 second per move, starting from move 41.
Draw by Mutual Agreement
Players are not allowed to agree to a draw until at least 30 moves have been made by each player. This rule does not apply to Armageddon games.
Armageddon
If the classical game is drawn, an Armageddon game will be played. It shall start within 20 minutes of the conclusion of the classical game. The player with White pieces will continue with White in Armageddon. If the Armageddon game is drawn, black will win.
Points
Players will get the following points per round:
Win in the classical game: 3 points
Loss in the classical game: 0 points
Draw in the classical game & win Armageddon: 1½ points
Draw in the classical game & loss Armageddon: 1 point
Schedule
From 27th May to 7th June, every day game starts at 5 p.m. local time and 8:30 p.m. IST. Rest days are on Friday 31st May and Wednesday 5th June.
Prize money
Prize Money The total prize fund of the Tournament is 1690000 NOK. Distribution of Prize money occurs as followed:
1st - NOK 700000
2nd - NOK 350000
3rd - NOK 200000
4th - NOK 170000
5th - NOK 150000
6th - NOK 120000
Watch the tournaments live at the venue:
SR-Bank in Stavanger City.
Address: Christen Tranes Gate 35, 4007 Stavanger
All tickets are purchased directly at the venue. No pre-sale.
It is possible to reserve tickets, however, this is normally not necessary due to good capacity at the venue. Reserve your ticket by e-mailing the desired dates and names to: bjorn@norwaychess.com.
Ticket prices per day:
Adults: 200 NOK
Children: 100 NOK
Family: 400 NOK
Links
Norway Chess: Official site, facebook, twitter, instagram, youtube, linkedin
