Magnus Carlsen has not won a Norwegian chess match after regular time since 2022. Fabiano Caruana lost in the fifth round on Thursday.
He stood at 3.0 points after drawing and winning Armageddon in the first two matches before meeting Caruana with Black Pieces. After winning, his points tally doubled. He will also continue to be world number one after the tournament.
– It's very satisfying to achieve this. That's the nice thing about this format here. “We don't have enough time to recover, and you almost have to play a quick or quick game of chess,” Carslen explained to TV 2.
– I would have been thrilled with the draw today, because nothing went right from the start, but I didn't want Caruana to finish in the world rankings behind me. “I gradually realized that there was a chance for victory, and more and more I was able to take charge,” Carlsen said.
Carlsen lost somewhat surprisingly to 18-year-old Indian Rambabu Pragnanananda on Wednesday.
Caruana, an old acquaintance, gained an early advantage with his white pieces, but Carlsen eventually leveled the position.
– Boring game so far. Caruana told the “Witness Box” that the follow-up of Deng against Firouzja is more exciting, there is more excitement.
– It looks good, even if the farm structure is a bit boring. “I don't quite understand what kind of plans he had,” Carlsen said.
After 75 moves and numerous substitutions, Carlsen managed to dismiss the American, who ended up under enormous time pressure.
Hikaru Nakamura won the Norwegian Chess Championship last year after Carlsen won the previous four tournaments.
There will be no action on Friday, while Alireza Firouzja of France is Carlsen's next opponent on Saturday.
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