R Praggnanandhaa levels Viswanathan Anand at Norway Chess 2026 after upsetting world no.1 Magnus Carlsen for second time

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa emulated legendary Viswanathan Anand after upsetting world no.1 Magnus Carlsen for the second time at the ongoing 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 on Wednesday.

In the process, Praggnanandhaa became only the second player after India’s Anand to defeat Carlsen twice in the same tournament, and also joined an elite group of players to have beaten the five-time World Champion three times in classical chess.

However, World Champion D Gukesh lost to Iranian-French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja to spine up the title race. 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 leader Wesley So.

The remaining classical game between Wesley 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 leads Norway Chess 2026 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.

Divya Deshmukh loses, Koneru Humpy draws

In the women's category, Bibisara Assaubayeva from Kazakhstan strengthened her lead at the top of the standings. Assaubayeva secured a key classical win over Indian 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 Deshmukh on 10 points.

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

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