NEW DELHI: If you flip through the pages of an English dictionary to find out the meaning of the word “cliché”, it will tell you that a cliché is nothing more than a phrase or an idea that has been used so much that it no longer has any real meaning. At the 14th edition of Norwegian Chess in Oslo, the sense of shock and disappointment associated with defeat Magnus Carlsen Has become a bit of a cliché. The result itself doesn’t really create a sense of shock or disappointment.In round 8 of the tournament on Tuesday, when Indian grandmaster Ramesh Babu Praganandha defeated the local hero for the second consecutive time in two weeks in classical chess, it felt like all the world no. 1 and the five-time world champion needed a place to hide his face at the time.In a game that began with the obvious intention of avenging his previous defeat, Carlsen suffered his fourth loss in classical games of the tournament, playing with the white pieces. Thanks to this dreadful run of form, the 35-year-old is now second-to-last with nine points.At the top of the board, in a fast French defense, Pragnandha, playing black, conceded a structural disadvantage early but gained active paceplay and central control. After 14.Kf1 Carlsen’s kingside safety became a recurring problem. Black gradually integrated his rooks, bishops and queens to seize the initiative, winning key exchanges and maintaining constant pressure.Despite Karlsson’s prolonged resistance, Prague turned his activity into a dominant endgame attack, forcing Carlsson to blunder with 48.Kf4. The game lasted 50 moves as Indian Grandmaster Norway remained firmly in contention for the chess crown, with rounds still to go.“It’s more important for the tournament to win this than I think it’s Magnus, of course, it’s great to do it against Magnus, but I think it’s good to win any game at this stage of the tournament,” said the 20-year-old, who is currently second on 12 points.
Gokesh and Duya Deshmukh Face classic defeats
The reigning world champion, like Carlson, was unable to produce his best chess in the tournament, leading to another classical loss, this time against Grandmaster Alireza Ferozja. In a game that lasted 61 moves, Gokesh was completely outfoxed after forgetting his preparation while playing with the black pieces.In the Ragozin Defence, Gukesh’s ambitious kingside expansion (8…g5, 10…h5) created an imbalance but left long-term weaknesses.“I came up with this new 7…Bf5, but I think he reacted the best way, and I just forgot my preparation, and I’m pretty sure I mixed something up,” Gokesh later admitted.Alireza took advantage of the strategy and won a pawn with 12.Qxb7. After easing into rook endgames, he steadily improved his king activity and piece placement.Gokesh’s response faded as Alireza’s active blocking and dangerous pawn created decisive threats, turning the advantage into a well-controlled classical victory.
With the win, Alireza is in second place with 13 points, behind only tournament leader Wesley Soo, who is on 14. Gokesh, however, is at the bottom with just eight points.In the women’s section, Divya Deshmukh went through a similarly damaging experience for Gokesh, as the tournament leader of the women’s section, Babesara Asobaifa, scored a stunning win against the Indian.After a closed sicline, Divya built early queenside pressure and won content, giving herself an advantageous position in the middle game. However, Bibi Sara remained extremely active. The game changed completely after Black’s central break 35…e4 and the powerful advance 39…e3, opening lines against White’s king.Bibi Sarah played enthusiastically, coordinating her queen, rook and bishop in a direct attack. White’s pieces were completely tied up defensively, and Black’s initiative led to a decisive kingside attack, leading to a stunning classic victory for the Kazakhstani grandmaster, who now continues to lead the tournament with 15.5 points.
On the other hand, Divya, who was ranked second before this game, moved to the third spot with 10 points.2nd place: Conero Hampi wins Armageddon, Wesley maintains lead (use H2 format)Koniro Hampi, who struggled with her chess at the tournament, drew her classical game against Anna Muzyczak before drawing with Black and winning in an Armageddon tiebreak. Meanwhile, China’s Zhou Jin completed a decisive classical victory over her compatriot and women’s world champion, Jo Wenjin.In the Open section, the only Armageddon of the day came in the match between Sue and Vincent Kemmer, where Sue won to stay a point clear at the top of the table.
