Norway Chess: Gukesh bounces back in Rd 3, beats world no. 2 Hikaru Nakamura

Stavanger, May 29 (IANS) Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju took down world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura in a seemingly equal endgame, cementing his title credentials with a bold performance. This win could not come in a better moment for the Indian prodigy following two painful losses in the first two rounds.

On the opening day of Norway Chess, Gukesh suffered a loss at the hands of world No.1 Magnus Carlsen. He then lost to Arjun Erigaisi in the tension-filled all-Indian encounter but the world champion bounced back in round three with a win over Nakamura.

Fabiano Caruana has rebounded impressively after losing in the first round, with another win. This time against Indian star Erigaisi. With this win, he took over the world number 3 spot from Erigaisi in the live rating list.

The only draw came between world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and Wei Yi. Magnus Carlsen seemed to get some pressure out of the opening but was unable to get anything substantial against Wei Yi’s superb defence. In the Armageddon game, Wei Yi found a clever move. In the following complicated position, Carlsen made a mistake and Wei Yi won a beautiful game.

The Norway Chess Women’s tournament again saw action with a decisive win for the Indian star Humpy Koneru against Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. Humpy Koneru managed to obtain a better position out of the opening. With excellent play, she kept adding pressure until she gained an advantage. This proved enough to secure the win.

Meanwhile, both remaining games, Tingjie Lei against Anna Muzychuk, and Vaishali Rameshbabu against Ju Wenjun, were decided in Armageddon, reflecting the tightly contested nature of the women’s field. Anna Muzychuk and Wenjun Ju managed to win their Armageddon games, getting the extra points.

--IANS

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