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Xtra Time Web Desk:In a stunning display of skill and strategy, India's Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa achieved a historic milestone by defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger on Wednesday. This victory marks Praggnanandhaa's first-ever classical win over the legendary chess champion.

The 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster's triumph was the highlight of a thrilling day of chess.
Praggnanandhaa's victory propelled him past Carlsen in the standings, placing him at the top of the open section. His outstanding performance secured him the sole lead, with Caruana trailing in second place. Meanwhile, Vaishali's impressive showing put her at the top of the women's standings after the third round.

Reflecting on his victory, Praggnanandhaa shared his thoughts with The Indian Express: "His opening was provocative. I said he wants to fight, because otherwise he could play something solid. I didn’t mind at all. We’ll fight and we’ll see how it goes. I’m feeling good. The game was quite interesting. I got a very good position from the opening. I kind of misplayed it at some point. I allowed bishop e3, f6… then I was told that I still played correctly. Maybe I was better throughout the game."

Despite his success, Praggnanandhaa remained humble about his achievement: "I don’t know, I will have to check. I didn’t think I played really well. I did find some best moves. It’s not my best game for sure."

Hikaru Nakamura offered his perspective on Carlsen's approach: "I wish Magnus would take these chances against me or against Fabi. I have this theory that when Magnus is playing the younger kids specifically he wants to sort of prove a point, he wants to go after them and try to beat them and he takes far more risks than he does against us old folks!"

Carlsen himself acknowledged the riskiness of his opening choice and reflected on the game: "Obviously, a pretty risky opening choice today. I think his move 10.h3, though, was a little bit soft. He thought about it for a long time there. I guess he was calculating f4 and queen c5. I don’t really think that’s worse for black. So that was a little bit of a waste of a move. Apart from that, sometimes h3 can be used for rooks and queen for attacks. I wasn’t overly impressed with that one."

Praggnanandhaa's victory is a testament to his burgeoning talent and marks a significant moment in his chess career, showcasing his potential to rise among the world's elite.

In other notable matches, Fabiano Caruana was bested by Ding Liren, while Hikaru Nakamura secured a win against Alireza Firouzja in the armageddon round. On the women's side, Humpy Koneru triumphed over GM Lei Tingjie, Pia Cramling drew with Ju Wenjun, and Vaishali held her ground against Anna Muzychuk.