R Praggnanandhaa stunned world champion D Gukesh in Round nine of the Norway Chess to boost hopes for a title win. This was Praggnanandhaa's third consecutive
win, and it helped him take the second spot in the table with 15 points. Wesley So sits at the top of the table with 15.5 points, while Alireza Firouzja, with 14.5 points, is at third spot. Praggnanandhaa was slightly inconsistent in the initial rounds, losing to Gukesh and Wesley So in the fifth and sixth rounds, respectively, but he has turned things around nicely. On Tuesday, he also bagged a stunning double against defending champion and World No.1 Magnus Carlsen. Following the win, Praggnanandhaa was delighted that he was still in the race for the title despite a shaky start. "Quite proud about this game honestly, because this is how I usually lose to him. He does some weird creative stuff. I end up overthinking and somehow doing something myself and losing. I thought I managed my time well and I was also calculating well. So I thought it was a good game overall," he told Norway Chess' official broadcast. 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." On turning things around at the Norway Chess, Praggnanandhaa said that he played well throughout the tournament, but let the games slip at crucial moments, adding that he could have been in the lead had he managed his time better in earlier rounds, something that he rectified in the last three games. "I don’t know. I didn’t do anything specific," he said. "I felt I played well in this tournament. There were a couple of positions I could have probably… even the game against Gukesh, when I was playing with white, I was just winning, I outplayed him and then I messed up in time trouble.
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
"So there were few games where I could have converted and could have had more points. I thought I was playing well. I just had to try and keep some time in reserve."
He also said that he wasn't worried after the defeats to So and Gukesh in earlier rounds. "You can’t be thinking when you’re in the last spot to win three in a row against this opposition. But in general, I’m someone like I want to fight every game. I’m just taking one game at a time. To win one game here is so difficult that you can’t really calculate ‘I’ll do this, I’ll do that’. I think one good thing was that I was just fighting in every game," he said.
How Can Praggnanandhaa Win The Title
Meanwhile, as things stand, Praggnanandhaa, Wesley So and Alireza Firouzja are in the hunt for the title. Praggnanandhaa will take on Vincent Keymer in the tenth round, and he will need no less than a classical win to keep hopes alive. A classical win will take his tally to 18 points. He will also need Firouzja to beat Wesley So. In such a scenario, Praggnanandhaa will top with 18 points while So will remain at 15. So won't be able to beat Praggnanandhaa even in the case of a classical draw and Armageddon win, as he will only reach 17 points. But if Praggnanandhaa gets any result other than a classical win, say an Armageddon win, he will reach 16.5 points, and that won't be enough, as one of So or Firouzja will leapfrog him.
