Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won at the Norway Chess 2026 tournament against the world champion D Gukesh in a one-sided match that could only strengthen Praggnanandhaa's chances of winning the international title. Praggnanandhaa won the tournament in a sudden turnaround after a weak performance just a few days ago, following consecutive defeats.
The eagerly awaited match between the two biggest chess players in India finally took place in Oslo yesterday. Praggnanandhaa dominated and won in just 34 moves, leaving Gukesh nowhere to go. Praggnanandhaa was particularly gratified, for he’d suffered a painful defeat in the fourth round against Gukesh despite having a winning position for much of the game.
Recalling the victory, Praggnanandhaa said that the earlier defeat was difficult to digest. He remembered how he had outplayed Gukesh in their previous match, but gave up the advantage because time was tight. This time, he wasn’t panicking, and he didn’t mess up the plan.
Gukesh resigns and Praggnanandhaa wins his third classical game in a row! Back-to-back wins against the world number-one and the world champion!https://t.co/SSuvmTtH0B#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/qTKFdQTkbg
— chess24 (@chess24com) June 4, 2026
After the match, Praggnanandhaa said he was so proud of winning because he avoided making the kinds of mistakes he makes so frequently when he had to defend himself from Gukesh’s unorthodox and creative style of play in the game. He said that he made the right decisions, and time management and calculation were key to the win and said it was one of his best performances in the tournament.
The victory took Praggnanandhaa to second place in the standings with 15 points and he is now firmly in the race for the championship. His remarkable comeback has been one of the best stories of this tournament. Just three rounds earlier, he was trying to hang on to the bottom of the table on the back of the pack, and just three straight wins have already changed his chances of winning the title and put him inching closer to it.
Wesley So is still the leader with 15.5 points, and Alireza Firouzja is in third place with 14.5 points. Only a few rounds remain, and the race for the championship is open.
But for Gukesh, the tournament has been much more difficult. The reigning world champion is currently on eight points and could find himself at the bottom of the table. And the loss to Praggnanandhaa came just two days after he celebrated his 20th birthday on the tournament’s rest day.
In a further enthralling game, Gukesh will be up against the former world number one, Magnus Carlsen, in a key classical game. Carlsen has 10 points, and Gukesh will need at least a win to avoid finishing in last place in the tournament. Interestingly, he and Gukesh had played the title fight at Norway Chess 2025, so this year's match will be more interesting than their previous one.
Bibisara Assaubayeva took the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a single round to spare in the women's section. She secured the title after winning her Round 9 classical game against Anna Muzychuk to complete a great tournament campaign.
All eyes will be on Praggnanandhaa as he gets closer to the end of the tournament, as he is going to make a remarkable comeback and fight for one of the most prestigious titles in world chess.
