Pragg wins with one second
It was a showdown between the former world champion and the new world champion for the first time in classical time controls since the throne was relinquished. On Monday, during the first day of the Norway Chess tournament, Magnus Carlsen, the current world No. 1, faced Ding Liren, the man who now holds the title that Carlsen occupied for a decade. The match was anticipated to be fascinating, especially since Carlsen had told The Indian Express before the tournament that he was eager to gauge his level in classical time controls. Ding, on the other hand, has struggled with inconsistent form since taking the crown last year. He mentioned to The Indian Express that his goal for Norway was simply not to finish in last place.
The Ding vs. Carlsen game began dramatically when the Norwegian nearly bolted off the board just two moves into the game, heading into the players’ back room. He returned almost 12 minutes later. This absence sparked speculation among local media about what was happening behind the scenes.
Eventually, World No. 3 Hikaru Nakamura provided some clarity. He entered the “confession booth,” a unique feature set up by the Norway Chess organizers where players can speak their minds freely. Nakamura offered insights into what was occurring behind the scenes in the exclusive back room reserved for the players.
“It’s pretty funny to see Magnus in a situation where there are no increments, and he’s in the back room eating. I think he spent like 13 minutes just eating noodles, salad, and whatever it was… I think it was a big pepperoni pizza. Obviously, you guys cannot see any of this. But from the inside, it was pretty funny to see Magnus chugging his water, eating his salad, and eating pizza,” Nakamura said.
Soon after, the official Norway Chess handle posted a clip showing Carlsen’s trainer, Peter Heine Nielsen—who has been instrumental in helping both Viswanathan Anand and Carlsen in almost all of their World Chess Championship triumphs (except the 2013 edition when Anand faced Carlsen)—walking into the playing hall carrying a massive box of what looked like pizza before the event started.
Later, while speaking to a panel in the TV 2 studio, Carlsen explained his long absence during the game: “I ate, I was hungry.”
The duo quickly reached a draw in the classical format after 14 moves. According to the tournament rules, this result meant the game proceeded to an Armageddon tiebreaker.
At Norway Chess, if a match is drawn, the Armageddon rules come into effect. In this format, the player with white has 10 minutes on the clock, while the player with black has seven minutes. However, the player with white must win the game to claim victory. If the game ends in a draw, the player with black receives a bonus half-point.
