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Praggnanandhaa Beats Magnus Carlsen Again
New Delhi: Indian chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa delivered another remarkable performance at Norway Chess 2026, defeating world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen for the second time in the tournament. The 20-year-old secured victory with the black pieces, adding to his earlier win over Carlsen with white and achieving a feat previously matched only by Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand.
With the result, Praggnanandhaa has become just the second player to beat Carlsen twice in a single edition of the prestigious tournament.
The latest setback has further complicated Carlsen's campaign as the Norwegian star struggles to defend his title. The five-time world champion has now suffered four defeats in classical games during the tournament, an unusually difficult run for one of the sport's most dominant figures.
Notably, two of those losses have come against Praggnanandhaa, who continues to emerge as one of the biggest challengers on the international chess circuit.
Praggnanandhaa's victory has significantly boosted his chances of claiming the Norway Chess title. If successful, he would become the first Indian player to win the tournament.
After eight rounds, the Indian grandmaster sits third in the standings with 12 points. American Grandmaster Wesley So leads the table with 14 points, while France's Alireza Firouzja occupies second place with 13 points.
In other key results, So edged past Germany's Vincent Keymer in an Armageddon tie-break, while Firouzja secured an important classical victory over reigning world champion D Gukesh.
The defeat to Firouzja has left Gukesh's title hopes hanging by a thread. The Indian world champion currently occupies sixth place with eight points and faces a difficult path to contention with only two rounds remaining.
The loss marked Gukesh's third classical defeat of the tournament. While his focus remains on elite-level competition, attention will soon shift to his upcoming world title defence against Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov later this year.
