Oslo, Jun 3: Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa dealt another stunning blow to hometown hero and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, defeating the Norwegian in a classical game for the second time at Norway Chess 2026 and boosting his bid to become the first Indian champion of the prestigious event.
World champion D. Gukesh’s title hopes ended after another heavy Round 8 defeat to French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja, leaving him bottom of the table on eight points and still unable to halt a worrying run of form since his 2024 world title triumph.
In a remarkable achievement in the elite double round-robin event, Praggnanandhaa became the only player to beat Carlsen twice in classical games this year, underlining his growing stature.
With two rounds still to play, the win pushed 20-year-old Praggnanandhaa up to third place on 12 points, with Alireza second on 13 and American GM Wesley So still leading on 14 points after an Armageddon tie-break victory over Germany’s Vincent Keymer.
Carlsen’s poor run of form continued, leaving his bid for an eighth Norway Chess title all but over. The five-time world champion sits on just nine points, and even two classical wins is unlikely to be enough to pull him back into contention.
Carlsen has endured an uncharacteristically turbulent campaign, suffering a third defeat overall at the hands of Praggnanandhaa, who had also beaten him once in the 2024 edition of the tournament and has now emerged as one of the strongest challengers to his long-standing dominance.
“It’s more important for the tournament that I get this win than thinking that it’s Magnus. Of course, it’s great to do it against Magnus, but I think winning any game at this stage of the tournament is good,” said Praggnanandhaa, who had the black pieces, after the match.
Praggnanandhaa steered the game into a queen-and-bishop endgame with an extra pawn — one that was objectively likely to end in a draw. However, he kept pressing in a position that was still more difficult for white to handle, and Carlsen eventually faltered.
“Yeah, it was an interesting game. I was putting pressure throughout, both on the clock and on the board. I thought Carlsen defended really well given the time trouble, and in the end it looked like it could be a draw. I think I’ve lost too many points in time trouble, so I don’t mind taking some back,” he added.
Asked if he was witnessing a changing of guard, Praggnanandhaa strongly rejected the notion that it has become easier to play against the five-time world champion.
“He’s still very good…he has around 20 world titles, so no one is even close. I’ve had some good results in the past two months, but I wouldn’t say it’s easier to play Magnus,” he said.
“He is still very strong, but in this tournament, whenever he has been under time pressure, things haven’t gone his way. If you take those moments away, he’s still playing well,” Praggnanandhaa added.
In the ninth and penultimate round after Wednesday’s rest day, Praggnanandhaa will play Black against Gukesh, who slipped to last place after his classical defeat to Alireza.
Norway Chess Women witnessed two decisive classical games and one Armageddon finish in Round 8, with Bibisara Assaubayeva strengthening her hold on the title race.
The Kazakh scored a crucial classical win over Divya Deshmukh, turning the game around after the Indian ran into time trouble and collecting the full three points.
China’s Zhu Jiner also notched up a classical victory, defeating reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun to move level with Divya on 10 points.
Defending champion Anna Muzychuk and Koneru Humpy drew their classical game before another drawn Armageddon battle handed Humpy the bonus points, as she had the black pieces.
With two rounds remaining, Bibisara leads comfortably on 15.5 points, followed by Muzychuk on 10.5, while Divya and Zhu are tied on 10 points.
Results (Round 8)
Open: Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 13) bt D, Gukesh (Ind, 8); Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 9) lost to R. Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 12); Wesley So (USA, 14) bt Vincent Keymer (USA, 10).
Women: Zhu Jiner (Chn, 10) bt Ju Wenjun (Chn, 9); Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 10) lost to Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz, 15.5); Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 10.5) bt Koneru Humpy (Ind, 8). (PTI)
