Oslo Esports Cup: Praggnanadhaa set to duel with Carlsen

India’s R. Praggnanandhaa, Magnus Carlsen and six others will compete in the USD 210,000 Oslo Esports Cup, an online rapid chess tournament.

R. Praggnanandhaa will face Jorden van Foreest in the first round.

Back in the company of elite players, R. Praggnanandhaa will face World champion Magnus Carlsen in the fourth round of the cash-rich USD 210,000 Oslo Esports Cup online rapid chess tournament on Tuesday.

In the eight-player field that follows the round robin format, the 16-year-old Chennai boy opens his campaign against Jorden van Foreest before taking on the Norwegian top seed on April 25. It may be recalled that Praggnanandhaa stunned Carlsen in the Airthings Masters online event in February.

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Others in the elite field are Anish Giri (the Netherlands), Shakhriyar Memedyarov (Azerbaijan), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Eric Hansen (Canada) and Liem Quang Le (Vietnam).

Best-of-four ties

Each round will be played on the best-of-four games basis. In case of a tie, two blitz games and, if needed, an Armageddon game will decide the winner. Each victory is worth three points, a draw one, and a loss none. In case the match is decided after the four regular rapid games, the winner will receive two points and the loser, one.

Though it is an online event, all the players have gathered under one roof in Oslo. This is the first event of its kind in the USD 1.6 million Meltwaters Champions Chess Tour.