Norway Chess: Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa have awful day

D Gukesh ran out of steam and surrendered to Wesley So in Armageddon after failing to convert his classical promise while redhot Frenchman Alireza Firouzja tore past R Praggnanandhaa to storm to the top on a bruising second day for the Indians at Norway Chess here Defending champion Magnus Carlsen was pushed to the brink yet again by German sensation Vincent Keymer before the seventime champion finally escaped with an Armageddon victory clawing his way to his first points of the tournament after another fierce battleDespite the disappointing secondround Armageddon result Gukesh stayed joint second with So on 25 points while the rampant Firouzja opened up a commanding lead with six points after backtoback wins Praggnanandhaa and Carlsen meanwhile languished at the bottom with 15 points each in the prestigious eventTo make matters worse for Gukesh who will turn 20 in a couple of days So bluntly remarked after the game that he was not quite sure the Indian was as strong as his rating suggested Gukesh visibly shaken by the Armageddon defeat tried to put up a brave face during his mandatory broadcast duties but the frustration was hard to miss when he walked away with anger and disappointment written all over his faceIn the marathon classical battle lasting 116 moves it was Gukesh who did most of the pressing and appeared to be cruising towards the winning line before So somehow escaped with a draw The American then completely outplayed the Indian in Armageddon claiming 15 points to Gukeshs one and handing the world champion a crushing disappointmentPraggnanandhaa appeared to be following a promising winning path against Firouzja early on but the battered Frenchman hobbling around in a moon boot wheeled in by his second and clutching crutches because of a badly injured ankle once again showed remarkable grit and class to turn the game around and beat the Indian with surprising easeThe Frenchman later said Im trying to play chess I have a lot of pain but its something that keeps me focused it makes me not think about pain In a rollercoaster contest filled with momentum swings Carlsen was stretched to the limit by gritty 21yearold Keymer The Norwegian twice let winning positions slip draining the magic from his game but after quickly regrouping following the draw Carlsen returned in Armageddon to finally open his account in the tournamentDivya Deshmukh loving itIn the womens competition the vivacious Divya Deshmukh appears to be thoroughly enjoying her maiden Norway Chess adventure On Tuesday much like her memorable win over twotime world rapid champion Koneru Humpy at last years Womens World Cup she once again got the better of the Indian veteran in Armageddon clinching another moraleboosting victory to climb into joint second with three pointsKazakhstans Bibisara Assaubayeva meanwhile continued her dream run at the top with 45 points Im having a lot of fun with the Armageddon games here I love them Im actually enjoying the classical games too because theres no increment Its my first time at Norway Chess so its been really exciting said Divya whose carefree approach continues to light up the tournamentShe even made a couple of visits to the Confession Room a Norway Chess innovation introduced in 2015 something that the other Indian players have largely avoided over the years seemingly wary of revealing their thoughts midgame A confession room is a private soundproof booth placed near the playing hall where players can briefly step away during a game to share candid unfiltered thoughts into a live camera and microphone offering viewers a rare glimpse into their mindset and emotions in the middle of battleI think it helps me because when I go there I can talk about what is going on in my mind and it helps me to calculate better Divya said Tournament leader Bibisara continued her dream start here defeating Zhu Jiner in Armageddon after a tense and tactical classical battle The Kazakh star once again thrived under pressure in the faster format to pocket the extra points and tighten her grip on the top spot Defending champion Anna Muzychuk overcame reigning womens world champion Ju Wenjun in Armageddon to cap another dramatic day of highstakes battlesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever