D. Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa during their Round 9 match at the Norway Chess 2026, in Oslo, on June 4, 2026
| Photo Credit: Norway Chess 2026
They are friends off the board but rivals when they sit across each other for a game; they set the camaraderie aside and focus on winning. R. Praggnanandhaa and D. Gukesh faced off in the ninth and penultimate round of Norway Chess on Thursday (June 4, 2026) with a lot on the line, but it was the former who won with black in 34 moves to roar back into title contention.Feels good to beat Carlsen but his aura is not waning: PraggnanandhaaKazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva, meanwhile, sewed up the title with a round to spare, despite losing to the defending champion Anna Muzychuk in the Armageddon at Deichman Bjorvika in Oslo.Praggnanandhaa’s resilience was on display as he overcame the advantage held by the World champion to pull off a crucial win to take him to 15 points, just half-a-point behind leader Wesley So, who edged out Magnus Carlsen in the Armageddon.STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 9 🔥🇺🇸 Wesley So leads the tournament by half a point heading into the final round.🇮🇳 Praggnanandhaa's crucial win over Gukesh today propelled him into 2nd place, while 🇫🇷 Alireza Firouzja sits in 3rd.All three players still have a chance to win Norway… pic.twitter.com/2PICRjxwfn— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 4, 2026“I’m quite proud of this game, honestly, because this is how I usually lose to him. He does some weird, creative stuff. I end up overthinking, somehow doing something myself, and losing. So I thought I managed my time well and I was also calculating well,” Praggnanandhaa said after posting his third win on the trot.“Three days back, I was fighting for the last spot. And now I have a chance at fighting, so I’ll take it,” he said about the change in fortunes for him after having languished in the last spot and bouncing back with a trio of victories.He is slated to take on German Vincent Keymer in the 10th and final round, and the scramble for the title is set to be interesting as So meets Alireza Firouzja. All three — Praggnanandhaa, So and Firouzja — are in contention for the top prize, and an interesting final round is in the offing.Meanwhile, World No. 1 Carlsen and Gukesh would be involved in a battle to avoid the wooden spoon.Divya, Humpy suffer defeatsThe women’s event saw Assaubayeva enter the ninth round, knowing that a draw in the classical game could ensure the top place for her. The game with Muzychuk ended in a quick draw and the Kazakh went down in the Armageddon.
