Praggnanandhaa takes down Carlsen for a second time in a row

OSLO: Round eight of Norway Chess 2026 delivered a crucial outcome in Oslo on Wednesday, with two decisive classical games and one Armageddon battle adding new tension to the race for first place.

Alireza Firouzja scored an important classical victory against World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. Playing with the white pieces, Firouzja navigated a tense endgame and kept his composure in mutual time pressure to convert a valuable win. The result moves him to within one point of tournament leader Wesley So.

Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu also delivered a major result, defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen with the black pieces. The game remained balanced deep into the final phase before Carlsen came under heavy pressure in time trouble. Praggnanandhaa seized the decisive moment and converted, keeping himself firmly in the title race.

The remaining game between So and Vincent Keymer ended in a draw after a balanced classical encounter. So later won the Armageddon game, securing the extra points and protecting his place at the top of the standings.

After round eight, So leads Norway Chess with 14 points, Firouzja follows with 13, and Rameshbabu is close behind with 12.

Norway Chess Women produced two decisive classical games and one Armageddon decider, with Bibisara Assaubayeva strengthening her position at the top of the standings.

Assaubayeva scored a key classical victory against Divya Deshmukh. Playing with the black pieces, the tournament leader stayed resilient under pressure and turned the game around as Divya ran short of time. Assaubayeva converted the attack into victory to claim three crucial points.

Zhu Jiner also claimed a classical win, defeating reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun. Zhu kept steady pressure