After Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa defeats Gukesh and is second in Norwegian Chess

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa continued his stunning run at Norway Chess 2026 by defeating reigning World Champion D Gukesh in the 9th round to complete a hat-trick of victories and move into second place with 15 points. The win keeps him firmly in contention for the title heading into the final rounds of the elite tournament.

The result further tightens the race on the spot at the top of the standings, Praggnanandhaa is now just half a point behind the leader Wesley So and in front of some of the strongest players in the world.

“Honestly, I’m pretty proud of this game because that’s how I usually lose to him. He does some weird creative things. I end up thinking and somehow I do something myself and I lose. I thought I managed my time well and I calculated well. So I thought it was a good game overall,” Praggnanandhaa said after his win over Gukesh on the official Norwegian Chess Broadcast.

The 20-year-old’s turnaround was one of the defining stories of the tournament. After back-to-back defeats at the start of the event, including losses to Gukesh and Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa responded with three consecutive classic wins, defeating top opposition including Magnus Carlsen and Alireza Firouzja.

“I’m happier to still be in the race because three days ago I was fighting for last place. And now I have a chance to fight. So I’m taking it,” he added.

RECOVERY PRAGG SHAKES FOR RACE TITLE

Praggnanandha’s resurgence has changed the face of the rankings, with the Indian GM now emerging as a genuine title contender after briefly being at the bottom of the table. His better time management and consistency in conversions were key factors behind the turnaround, as the player himself acknowledged.

“I don’t know. I didn’t do anything specific,” he said. “I felt like I played well in this tournament. There were some positions that I probably could have had in the game against Gukesh when I was playing with white, I was just winning, I outplayed him and then I messed up in the time crunch.” Men’s Norway Chess 2026 Ranking after Round 9 (screenshot from X/ @NorwayChess)

While Praggnanandhaa, Wesley So and Alireza Firouzja remain in contention for the title, defending world champions Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen is now fighting hard for the finish and avoid finishing the tournament at the bottom of the table.

“So there were few games where I could have converted and had more points. I thought I was playing well. I just had to try to keep some time in reserve,” he continued.

The momentum shift created a dramatic final round scenario with more and more players in contention and minimal separation at the top of the table.

In the women’s division, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the title with a lap to spare after drawing with veteran Ukrainian grandmaster Anna Muzychuk to give her an unassailable 16.5-point lead.

Indian grandmasters Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy currently occupy the bottom two positions in the table, with Deshmukh sliding down the table following back-to-back classic defeats, including a loss to China’s Zhu Jiner on Thursday 4 June.

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Published on:

05 Jun 2026 08:53 IST