The Norwegian star stumbled on the third day of Fast Classical action during his first classical encounter with Martirosyan, resigning after 41 moves amid severe time trouble before drawing their rematch. This setback tumbled Carlsen to fifth place in Group C, which currently leaves him outside the qualification zone for the title-deciding stage. Elsewhere in the event, Arjun Erigaisi advanced to third place in Group D following a win and a draw against Wesley So.
Key points
Magnus Carlsen is in jeopardy of relinquishing the world number one ranking that he has h…: Magnus Carlsen is in jeopardy of relinquishing the world number one ranking that he has held since July 2011.
Carlsen risks missing the title-deciding stage because he currently sits outside the top…: Carlsen risks missing the title-deciding stage because he currently sits outside the top four required to qualify.
Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa remains winless in the tournament after posting two d…: Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa remains winless in the tournament after posting two draws against Vladislav Artemiev.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Five-time world champion
Magnus Carlsen is facing an unexpected threat to his 15-year stranglehold on the world No. 1 ranking, with American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana closing the gap to less than eight rating points after a dramatic turn of events at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot.
Carlsen, who has held the top spot since July 2011, suffered a shock defeat to Armenia's Haik Martirosyan on the third day of the Fast Classical competition, further denting his live rating and raising the possibility of losing his long-standing position.
The 35-year-old Norwegian has endured a difficult campaign in the Fast Classical section, managing five draws and suffering one defeat. The results have cost him 15.8 rating points, taking his live rating down to 2807.2.
In contrast, Caruana has been in outstanding form, winning five games and drawing two to gain 17 rating points. The American has climbed to 2800, leaving him just 7.2 points behind Carlsen in the live rankings.
While FIDE publishes official monthly ratings, the live ratings reflect players' performances in real time. With the gap narrowing rapidly,…
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