R Praggnanandhaa defeated world champion Gukesh in a crucial classical game to remain in contention for the Norway Chess 2026 title, while Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the women’s crown with a round to spare.
Pragg beats Gukesh as title race heads into final round; Assaubayeva wins women’s title/ Credit: Norway Chess
India’s R Praggnanandhaa reignited his title hopes at Norway Chess 2026 with a crucial classical victory over world champion D Gukesh, while Wesley So edged past world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Armageddon to retain the overall lead heading into the final round.
Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa outplayed Gukesh in a tense and strategically complex encounter. The 19-year-old seized the initiative in the middlegame, capitalised on his compatriot’s inaccuracies and converted his advantage with precision to earn the full three points.
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The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 15 points, just half a point behind tournament leader Wesley So, setting up a thrilling finish to one of the strongest tournaments on the chess calendar.
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Meanwhile, So kept his nose in front after holding Carlsen to a draw in their classical game before prevailing in the Armageddon tiebreak. The result moved him to 15.5 points and ensured the battle for the Norway Chess title will go down to the final day.
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.
(With agency inputs)
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