Four-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen lost to a 16-year-old player from India in an online tournament. The Norwegian also attributed this to his recent corona infection.
Magnus Carlsen is that Chess genius of his time: He became world chess champion for the first time at the age of 23 and has not relinquished the title since then. But the 31-year-old Norwegian is not unbeatable either – and the youngsters are already waiting for their chance.
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has positioned himself before. Praggnanandhaa, also called Praggu, comes from India, is 16 years old and may also have a bright future in chess. At the Airthings Masters, an online rapid chess tournament, he actually managed to defeat the four-time world champion.
Magnus Carlsen has to give up against a 16-year-old Indian
After 39 moves, Carlsen saw no way out and had to resign. Praggnanandhaa, who played with the virtual black pieces, is already a household name in the chess world. He had already trumped chess genius Carlsen in 2018 when he became a grandmaster at the age of twelve years, ten months and 13 days. The Norwegian himself “only” received the highest title for tournament chess players at the age of 13.
Praggnanandhaa is only the third Indian to have beaten Magnus Carlsen at the chessboard. “It feels good,” the teenager said after his success, according to the Hindustan Times. “This win is a big win for my confidence.” Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa had met twice before. The first game was won by the world champion, the second game both drew.
Carlsen is still suffering from the consequences of a corona infection
Praggnanandhaa’s next big goal is to now defeat Carlsen in a classical chess game as well, said his coach RB Ramesh. The players have a thinking time of well over an hour per game. At the rapid chess tournament, in which Praggnanandhaa and Carlsen took part, the time control was only 15 minutes and was increased by ten seconds per move. The Indian currently has an Elo rating – which is used to indicate the playing strength of chess players – of 2612, Carlsen’s is 2865.
Carlsen also attributed the defeat to the consequences of his corona infection: “The first few days I felt good, but I had no energy, which made it difficult to concentrate because every time I tried to think, I did I made mistakes. Today was a bit better, but still pretty bad.”
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Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
