Norway Chess: Pragg beats Gukesh as title race heads into final round; Assaubayeva wins women's title
Oslo, June 5
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu scored the key classical victory over world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces, while Wesley So won Armageddon game over world No.1 Magnus Carlsen as the title race still wide-open heading into final round.
In a complicated battle, Praggnanandhaa took control after Gukesh came under pressure in the middlegame and converted with confidence. The full 3 points move Praggnanandhaa to 15 points, just half a point behind tournament leader Wesley So.
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.
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.
In the women's section, Bibisara Assaubayeva
secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with one round remaining after another important result .
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, 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.
— IANS
Reader Comments
So proud of both Gukesh and Pragg! Even though they had to face each other, it shows how deep India's chess bench strength is. The final round is going to be nail-biting.
I hope Divya Deshmukh can bounce back from the time trouble loss. She's been playing so well recently! And Humpy is a legend, still competing at the highest level. 👏
While it's wonderful to see our players doing well, we need to be honest about Armageddon format. It's too random for a tournament of this prestige. Classical chess should be the real test, not blitz tiebreaks.
Massive respect for Pragg's composure! To beat the world champion with black pieces shows he's ready for the big league. If he can overtake Wesley So in the final round, it'll be a historic moment for Indian chess. 🏆
The way these young Indians are performing in elite tournaments is remarkable. First the Chess Olympiad, now Norway Chess. Our federation should really invest more in grassroots chess, imagine what we could achieve with proper support!
So close yet so far for Pragg! Just half a point behind Wesley So. But honestly
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