Magnus Carlsen Takes Sole Lead in Norway Chess 2024 After Round 2

Magnus Carlsen Takes Sole Lead in Norway Chess 2024 After Armageddon Victory

In a thrilling turn of events, GM Magnus Carlsen has taken the sole lead in the Norway Chess 2024 tournament after defeating GM Hikaru Nakamura in armageddon in round two. Carlsen’s victory in the armageddon game against Nakamura has put him ahead of the pack, with two wins in the tiebreaker format.

The other two armageddon games in round two also saw White emerge victorious, with GM Ding Liren outplaying GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and GM Alireza Firouzja swindling GM Fabiano Caruana with a one-move tactic.

On the women’s side, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu secured the sole lead in the Women’s Norway Chess tournament after defeating GM Humpy Koneru in the classical portion of the event. Vaishali’s win marked the first classical victory in Stavanger this year, putting her ahead of the two Chinese players, GMs Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie, who won their armageddon games in round two.

With round three set to begin on Wednesday, May 29, at 11 a.m. ET / 17:00 CEST / 8:30 p.m. IST, all eyes will be on Carlsen and Vaishali as they look to maintain their leads in the tournament.

Norway Chess 2024 features both Open and Women’s tournaments with equal prize funds, running from May 27 to June 7 in Stavanger. Players face off in classical chess games, with the winner earning three points, the loser zero, and a draw leading to an armageddon tiebreaker.

Stay tuned for more updates as the competition heats up in Norway Chess 2024.