Norway Chess: D Gukesh Down At Bottom After Losing To Magnus Carlsen; R Praggnanandhaa In Second

Published 29 May 2026 · india

Norway Chess: D Gukesh Down At Bottom After Losing To Magnus Carlsen; R Praggnanandhaa In Second Published By, Last Updated: May 29, 2026, 13:40 IST

Norway Chess: D Gukesh Down At Bottom After Losing To Magnus Carlsen; R Praggnanandhaa In Second Published By, Last Updated: May 29, 2026, 13:40 IST Magnus Carlsen crushes D Gukesh to climb to fourth at Norway Chess, Alireza Firouzja still leads, just ahead of R Praggnanandhaa. Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa (X) World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen returned to winning ways with a crushing victory over reigning classical world champion D Gukesh, sending the young Indian to the bottom of the standings, while R Praggnanandhaa stayed second after beating Vincent Keymer in Armageddon at Norway Chess. Seven-time Norway Chess champion Carlsen, who had endured a sluggish start to the tournament, climbed from last to sole fourth with 4.5 points after taking three full points. A dejected Gukesh slipped quietly out of the playing hall through a side exit, leaving scores of young fans waiting for autographs. Going into Friday’s rest day, Alireza Firouzja remained comfortably on top despite suffering his first defeat of the event — an Armageddon loss to Wesley So after their classical game ended in a draw. Firouzja still collected a valuable point to move to 8.5, maintaining a healthy 2.5-point lead over sole second-placed R Praggnanandhaa on six points. American Wesley So is third on 5.5 points, a point ahead of Carlsen, while Keymer stands on four.

At the bottom is reigning world champion D Gukesh on 3.5 points, as the tournament threatens to turn into another nightmare campaign for the young Indian ahead of his world title defence against challenger Javokhir Sindarov later this year. There were no table-slams or dramatic “Oh my God!" moments from Magnus Carlsen this time, unlike his emotional loss to Gukesh last year, as the Norwegian great clinically converted his advantage with the black pieces. “I wouldn’t say I was super-motivated today. I kind of had enough after playing really poorly for three days in a row with very little time. Today, I didn’t have a lot of expectations, but I was happy with the way things went in the opening," Carlsen said after the game. The five-time world champion admitted he was surprised by Gukesh’s choice of opening. “I was surprised by Nf3. I wasn’t sure if I couldn’t take it, but it seemed like a draw at most. He sometimes plays a little too ambitiously and I think he did that today as well. He wanted to prove a serious advantage, and I’m not sure there was one. Eventually, he played himself into some trouble and I gradually took over," Carlsen added. Carlsen also revealed there was still some anxiety late in the game despite his dominant position.