Norway Chess 2026: Praggnanandhaa pushes himself into title contention with third straight classical win
(Courtesy : Norway Chess)
Bibisara Assaubayeva has secured the title with a round to spare in the women’s division.
Round 9 of Norway Chess 2026 delivered a dramatic penultimate day in Oslo, with the Norway Chess title race still wide-open heading into Friday’s final round.
Wesley So’s classical game against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw after a balanced encounter. So then won the Armageddon game, securing the extra points and preserving his lead before the final round.
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu scored the key classical victory of the day, defeating World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces.
In a complicated battle, Praggnanandhaa took control after Gukesh came under pressure in the middle game and converted with confidence. The full 3 points moves Praggnanandhaa to 15 points, just half a point behind tournament leader Wesley So.
Alireza Firouzja also remains firmly in contention. After surviving a difficult classical game against Vincent Keymer, Firouzja prevailed in Armageddon to collect the additional points.
Keymer pressed for long stretches of the classical game, but Firouzja defended resourcefully and kept his title chances alive.
After Round 9, Wesley So leads Norway Chess with 15.5 points. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu follows with 15 points, while Alireza Firouzja is close behind with 14.5 points.
Assaubayeva wins Norway Chess Women with a round to spare
Bibisara Assaubayeva has secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with one round remaining after another important result in Oslo.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk. Muzychuk later drew the Armageddon game with the black pieces, winning the decider under Armageddon rules and taking the extra points. Even with that result, Assaubayeva’s lead at the top became mathematically uncatchable.
Zhu Jiner produced the only decisive classical victory in the Women’s event, defeating Divya Deshmukh with the black pieces.
Zhu kept the pressure on in a tense middlegame and converted after Divya fell into time trouble, earning 3 valuable points and moving into second place.
The game between Humpy Koneru and reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun also ended in a classical draw. Ju Wenjun then won the Armageddon game with the black pieces, collecting the additional points.
After Round 9, Bibisara Assaubayeva leads Norway Chess Women with 16.5 points and has secured first place. Zhu Jiner follows with 13 points, while Anna Muzychuk is third with 12 points.
Who leads the men’s division points standings after round 9 at Norway Chess 2026?
Wesley So still holds the lead and is half-a-point ahead of second-placed Praggnanandhaa (15 points).
Who leads the women’s division after round 9 at Norway Chess 2026?
Bibisara Assaubayeva has already confirmed herself as the champion. She is ahead with 16.5 points after round 9.
Can Praggnanandhaa win the title at Norway Chess 2026?
Yes, Praggnanandhaa is in with a shot at the title heading into the final round of matches on Friday. However, not only does the Indian need to win his match, but also hope current leader Wesley So doesn’t win his match.
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Alex graduated in mass communication in 2016 and has been covering global sports for Khel Now since then. He is covering sports tech, igaming, sports betting and casino domain from 2017.