India’s Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu delivered one of the standout moments of Norway Chess 2026, defeating World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen for the second consecutive time and keeping himself firmly in contention for the title.

Round eight in Oslo proved pivotal, with two decisive classical victories reshaping the leaderboard heading into the final stages of the tournament.

Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa held his ground in a closely fought contest before capitalising on Carlsen’s time pressure late in the game. The Indian grandmaster seized his opportunity with precision, converting his advantage into a memorable victory over the hometown favourite.

The result keeps Praggnanandhaa within touching distance of the leaders and adds another chapter to his growing rivalry with the world’s top-ranked player.

Firouzja closes gap on Wesley So

Elsewhere, Alireza Firouzja boosted his title hopes with an important classical win over reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju.

The French-Iranian star handled a tense endgame confidently and emerged victorious after both players faced severe time pressure. The win moves Firouzja to just one point behind tournament leader Wesley So.

Meanwhile, So maintained his lead after drawing his classical game against Vincent Keymer before securing additional points in the Armageddon tiebreak.

Updated standings

With one round remaining, the battle for first place remains wide open:

• Wesley So – 14 points
• Alireza Firouzja – 13 points
• Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 12 points

Assaubayeva strengthens grip

In Norway Chess Women, Bibisara Assaubayeva took a major step towards the title with a crucial victory over Divya Deshmukh.

Playing with the black pieces, the Kazakh star weathered early pressure before turning the tables as her opponent ran low on time. The win extends her lead at the top of the standings.

Zhu Jiner also enjoyed a successful day, defeating Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun to move level with Divya in the race for second place.

Meanwhile, Anna Muzychuk and Humpy Koneru shared the points in classical play before Humpy claimed the extra Armageddon point.

Norway Chess women’s standings

• Bibisara Assaubayeva – 15.5 points
• Anna Muzychuk – 10.5 points
• Divya Deshmukh – 10 points
• Zhu Jiner – 10 points

With the tournament entering its final stretch, both events remain finely poised, setting up an exciting finish in Oslo.