Norway Chess: Viswanathan Anand defeats Carlsen, leads standings

Oslo: Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand returned to winning ways as he defeated World No 1 Magnus Carlsen in the fifth round of the Classical section on Monday in the Norway Chess tournament to climb to the top spot.

After prevailing against the Norwegian star in the Blitz event that preceded the Classical section, Anand registered a thrilling victory in Armageddon (sudden death game) after the regular match concluded in a 40-move draw.

In Armageddon, 52-year-old Anand recreated his magic when he beat Carlsen to post a win in 50 moves.

With 10 points in his count, the Indian Grandmaster leads the field with four more games to go in the prestigious tournament which features some of the finest players in the sport.

Anand had begun the Classical section with three consecutive victories, defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), and Hao Wang (China) before American Wesley So ended his winning streak in the fourth round.

As a result, the former world champion was sharing the lead with Magnus Carlsen on 8.5 points each. Carlsen lies in the second spot with 9.5 points despite the defeat to his long-time rival.

After Sunday’s result, Anand is leading the charts with 10 points, while Carlsen is a half a point behind. Wesley So and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov share third place.