New Delhi, June 5, 2026: The 2026 edition of Norway Chess has witnessed one of the most thrilling redemption arcs in recent chess history. Just days ago, 20-year-old Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was struggling near the bottom of the tournament standings, reeling from back-to-back defeats. Today, he stands on the cusp of glory after completing a spectacular “hat-trick” of three consecutive classical victories against the absolute titans of the modern game.
His latest victim? None other than the reigning World Chess Champion and his close compatriot, Dommaraju Gukesh. Playing with the black pieces in the penultimate ninth round, Praggnanandhaa outmaneuvered Gukesh in a high-stakes, dramatic encounter that completely reshaped the leaderboard heading into the final day of the super-tournament.
From the Bottom to the Top: The Spectacular Turnaround
To truly appreciate Praggnanandhaa’s achievement, one has to look back at the middle phase of this grueling double round-robin event. In rounds five and six, Pragg suffered heavy consecutive classical losses to Gukesh and current tournament leader Wesley So. For most players, such a psychological blow in an elite field could trigger a downward spiral. Instead, it lit a fire under the Chennai-born prodigy.
Pragg launched a ruthless comeback trail, securing three straight classical wins against the field’s most dangerous players:
- Round 7: Defeated the explosive French superstar Alireza Firouzja.
- Round 8: Shocked the chess world by taking down world number one Magnus Carlsen on his home turf.
- Round 9: Toppled World Champion D Gukesh in a masterful tactical display.
“I’m more happy that I’m still in the race because three days back I was fighting for the last spot. And now I have a chance at fighting. So I’ll take it,” a smiling Praggnanandhaa stated during the official broadcast after his round nine victory.
Tactically Outsmarting the World Champion
The highly anticipated clash between Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa lived up to its billing, unfolding into a sharp, complicated battle from the very opening moves. Gukesh, known for his uncompromising and deeply creative play style, selected the ultra-ambitious Nimzo-Indian Saemish Variation. It’s a sharp setup where White intentionally sacrifices a pawn on the c4 square early on to gain rapid piece activity and an aggressive attacking structure.
However, Pragg’s deep home preparation paid off perfectly. While he admitted post-match that he temporarily blanked on some of his calculated lines, he remembered the core positional goals and unleashed a brilliant theoretical novelty.
The game reached a critical tipping point when Gukesh pushed an over-aggressive pawn move. Pragg capitalised instantly, engineering a deep tactical maneuver that sent his knight on a daring journey all the way into White’s queenside corner to grab a whole rook.
Though Gukesh used his immense calculating powers to generate a dangerous counter-attack and push Pragg into severe time pressure, Pragg defended with iron-clad resilience. He consolidated his material advantage, carefully neutralised White’s threats, and forced Gukesh to resign after a grueling battle. It was sweet revenge for Praggnanandhaa, who had lost their previous meeting earlier in the event due to a late-game time scramble.
The Ultimate Final Round Showdown
Pragg’s masterclass has thrown the tournament standings into absolute chaos. American Grandmaster Wesley So managed to hold onto the pole position by drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen and subsequently winning the bonus half-point in the sudden-death Armageddon tiebreak.
This leaves a nail-biting, three-horse race for the prestigious Norway Chess crown going into the tenth and final round.
Current Standings at the Top
The mathematical permutations mean that everything is left to play for. Praggnanandhaa will command the white pieces against Germany’s rock-solid Vincent Keymer. A fourth consecutive classical win for Pragg, combined with any slip-up from Wesley So against a hungry Alireza Firouzja, would secure the young Indian the biggest tournament victory of his career.
Meanwhile, in the women’s section, the title race has already concluded with a round to spare. Kazakhstan’s international master Bibisara Assaubayeva put on a clinic of consistency throughout the week, drawing her final match to build an unassailable lead and comfortably claim the championship trophy alongside the $75,000 top prize.
As the pieces are set for the grand finale in the open section, the chess community watches with bated breath to see if Praggnanandhaa can finish his miraculous comeback and write his name in the history books of Norway Chess.