CONGRATULATIONS-Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026, becomes first Indian in history to clinch title

 

However, reigning World Champion D. Gukesh finished last amongst the six players in the Open section as he lost yet again to World No. 1 and home favourite Magnus Carlsen.

Jun 06, 2026

India’s Praggnanandhaa became champion at Norway Chess 2026 after finishing the tournament in Oslo with four consecutive classical wins

Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa on Friday defeated German Vincent Keymer in the 10th and final round at Deichman Bjorvika to win the Norway Chess 2026.

He topped the leaderboard with 18 points, one ahead of American Wesley So, with his convincing win in the last round.

He is the first Indian to become the champion at the prestigious tournament.

The 20-year-old player won four classical games on the trot to take the top spot after So’s chances of claiming the trophy ended with his game against Alireza Firouzja ending in a draw.

The stalemate between So, the overnight leader, and the Frenchman also meant Firouzja couldn’t triumph. Later, So won the Armageddon to finish with 17 points.

On Thursday, Praggnanandhaa had outgunned the World Champion and compatriot D. Gukesh to surge to the second spot behind So.

It was a rather remarkable turnaround for him after slipping to the last place on the points table following a mid-tournament struggle.

“I didn’t think about this when I lost two games in a row—I just wanted to play chess,” said Praggnanandhaa, whose title run included two victories over seven-time Norway Chess champion and World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the classical format, making him only the third player in history to do the double over the Norwegian in a tournament after Viswanathan Anand (Linares-Morelia 2007) and Veselin Topalov (Bilbao Masters Grand Slam Final 2008).

Carlsen ended a forgettable tournament by beating Gukesh to avoid the wooden spoon, which was taken by the reigning World Champion.

RESULTS (10th round)

Open Section: Alireza Firouza (Fra, 15.5) lost to Wesley So (USA, 17) in Armageddon; Vincent Keymer (Ger, 11) lost to R. Praggnanandhaa (18); Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 13) bt D. Gukesh (8)

Women’s Section: Zhu Jiner (Chn, 16) bt Koneru Humpy (9); Ju Wenjun (Chn, 13.5) bt Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz, 16.5); Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 15) bt Divya Deshmukh (10).

FINAL STANDINGS

Open Section

1. R. Praggnanandhaa (18 points)

2. Wesley So (USA, 17 points)

3. Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 15.5 points)

4. Magnus Carlsen (NOR, 13 points)

5. Vincent Keymer (GER, 11 points)

6. D. Gukesh (8 points)

Women’s Section

1. Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ, 16.5 points)

2. Zhu Jiner (CHN, 16 points)

3. Anna Muzychuk (UKR, 15 points)

4. Ju Wenjun (CHN, 13.5 points)

5. Divya Deshmukh (10 points)

6. Koneru Humpy (9 points)