Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu notched up his second win of the season over Magnus Carlsen in the fifth round of the Chessable Masters online rapid chess tournament, exactly three months after stunning the world champion for the first time. The 16-year-old from Chennai capitalised on a late blunder from Carlsen to pocket three crucial points to keep himself in the hunt for a knockout berth.
“I did not want to win that way,” said Praggnanandhaa when asked about his second triumph against the world champion. Praggnanandhaa this week said he was in the middle of his school exams but did not want to miss the opportunity of testing himself against a stellar field.
The match was headed for a draw before the Norwegian committed a blunder in the 40th move when he misplaced a black knight during the final seconds and resigned immediately in the next move as Praggnanandhaa emerged winner. The Indian drew with Harikrishna in the next round, defeated Gawain Jones before losing to David Anton Guijarro to finish the day.
The victory took Praggnanandhaa to 12 points, while Carlsen was at the second spot behind China’s Wei Yi on the second day of the $150,000 tournament. Praggnanandhaa is currently sharing the fifth place with Ding Liren.
