Praggnanandhaa employed his pet Italian opening as white against Liren. Still, he was in for a surprise as the Chinese seized the initiative in the middle game with a timely control of the centre.

AICF president Nitin Narang told reporters that the National Chess Federation has bid for New Delhi as the venue for the title showdown and that a no-objection certificate (NOC) had been taken from the Indian government.

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa lost to World Champion Ding Liren in the Armageddon tie-breaker after the two played out a draw under normal time control in the second round of the Norway Chess tournament

Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh on Thursday thanked the legendary Viswanathan Anand for playing a huge role in shaping his career, saying "I wouldn't have been close to what I am now if it wasn't for him".