Indian Prodigy Praggnanandhaa Outplays Carlsen, Secures Triple Format Hat-Trick

Image Source: Firstpost

Indian chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa delivered a performance for the headlines when he defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas. The 19-year-old's victory not just halted Carlsen's Las Vegas rampage but made history as well with Pragg now having defeated Carlsen in all three categories of chess—Classical, Rapid, and Blitz.

Key Highlights:

Shock Upset: Praggnanandhaa outplayed Carlsen in 39 moves with 93.9% accuracy while Carlsen could muster 84.9%, in a 10+10 rapid time control at the Grand Slam tournament.
Clean Sweep Record: Pragg's victory now means that he has beaten Carlsen in all the big chess time controls, and he joins an elite list of multi-format winners.
Tournament Impact: The win enabled Praggnanandhaa to top his group on 4.5 points and gain entry into the championship section.
Carlsen Knocked Out: Although he ruled the season with previous triumphs in Paris and Karlsruhe, Carlsen's group-stage loss and playoff loss to Levon Aronian disqualify him from claiming the Vegas title—he's moved to the lower ranking bracket.
Indian Successes: Joining Praggnanandhaa, another Indian, Arjun Erigaisi, also reached the quarterfinals, showcasing India's meteoric rise in chess.

Pragg's Reaction: "I like playing Freestyle better than Classical right now," said Praggnanandhaa, commenting on his growing confidence at the international level.

Source: India Today, NDTV, Economic Times, Hindustan Times, Times of India, Firstpost