Norway Chess 2026: Praggnanandhaa beats Magnus Carlsen; Gukesh, Divya Deshmukh lose

Defeat in round 8 puts Divya’s title aspirations at risk

Round eight of Norway Chess 2026 delivered a pivotal day in Oslo, with two decisive classical games and one Armageddon battle adding fresh tension to the race for first place.

Alireza Firouzja scored a key classical win over World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. Playing with the white pieces, Firouzja navigated a tense endgame under mutual time pressure to convert a valuable victory, moving him within one point of tournament leader Wesley So.

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced another landmark result as he defeated Magnus Carlsen once again in Norway Chess 2026 to tighten the title race.

The 20-year-old, who had earlier beaten Carlsen with the white pieces last week, repeated the feat with the black pieces in Round 8, marking two classical wins over Carlsen in the same tournament.

With this, Praggnanandhaa becomes only the second player after India’s legend Viswanathan Anand to defeat Carlsen twice in the same tournament, and also joins an elite group of players to have beaten the five-time World Champion three times in classical chess.

The remaining classical game between Wesley So and Vincent Keymer ended in a draw. So later secured the Armageddon win to collect extra points and retain his position at the top of the standings.

After Round 8, Wesley So leads Norway Chess with 14 points. Firouzja follows closely on 13 points, while Praggnanandhaa remains firmly in contention on 12 points, keeping the title race finely poised heading into the final rounds.

Norway Chess Women Round 8

Norway Chess Women also saw two decisive classical results and one Armageddon decider, with Bibisara Assaubayeva strengthening her lead at the top of the standings.

Assaubayeva secured a key classical win over Divya Deshmukh. Playing with the black pieces, the tournament leader held firm under pressure and turned the game in her favour as Divya ran short of time, converting for full points.

Zhu Jiner also picked up a major classical victory, defeating reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun. She maintained steady pressure throughout the endgame to convert in the final phase, moving level with Divya on 10 points.

The game between Anna Muzychuk and Humpy Koneru ended in a classical draw, with the Armageddon decider also balanced before Koneru ultimately secured the Armageddon win with the black pieces to take the extra points.

After Round 8, Bibisara Assaubayeva leads the Women’s standings with 15.5 points. Anna Muzychuk follows on 10.5, while Divya Deshmukh and Zhu Jiner are tied on 10 points each.

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