Praggnanandhaa entered the round half a point behind Wesley and therefore the Indian sensation knew that a victory would put him in a strong position to dethrone the leader
Published: June 6, 2026, 10:57 AM IST
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Praggnanandhaa addresses during the Dharavi Chess Championship 2025 in Dharavi, Mumbai on Friday, December 12, 2025. (Photo: IANS)
Indian Chess sensation Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu clinched a dramatic final round victory at Norway Chess 2026. He delivered a decisive classical victory to claim the title in Oslo. He now becomes the first Indian to win the tournament in world number 1 Magnus Carlsen’s backyard.
Praggnanandhaa entered the round half a point behind Wesley and therefore the Indian sensation knew that a victory would put him in a strong position to dethrone the leader. He took on Vincent Keymer with the white pieces and made the most of his opportunity to convert an absolutely crucial win. All 3 points lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points and secure first place.
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Wesley So, who was leading the tournament ahead of the final day, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja following an even contest. So, then went on to win later in the Armageddon game and collected the extra points. Subsequently, Firouzja finished 3rd despite a positive outing in Oslo.
The only remaining game between World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju ended in favor of the Norwegian in classical. Carlsen kept pushing in a long battle to finish the event on a high.
After the 10th Round, Praggnanandhaa won Norway Chess 2026 with 18 points to his name. Wesley So ended up in 2nd with 17 points whereas Alireza Firouzja took 3rd place with 15.5 points.
Assaubayeva wins Norway Chess Women
Bibisara Assaubayeva, who had already won the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare, confirmed her place at the summit after an outstanding tournament in Oslo.
The final round saw three decisive classical games being played with no Armageddon games needed in in the Women’s section. Reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun defeated Assaubayeva with the white pieces and ended the champion’s unbeaten classical run in the final round.
Indian representation Humpy Koneru lost her final game of the tournament against Zhu Jiner in a classical game. The result saw Zhu finish 2nd place by just half a point behind Assaubayeva. Anna Muzychuk also finished strongly as she defeated India’s Divya Deshmukh in classical chess to finish 3rd.
