Don't Miss

ENG

Cricket
Football
NDTV Podcast
Formula 1
Tennis
Golf
Chess
- Badminton
- Kabaddi
- Boxing
- Athletics
- Swimming
- Shooting
- Wrestling
- Table tennis
- Othersports
- NFL
- NBA
- NHL
- US Streamers
- MMA
- WWE

Dark / Light mode

Oct 8,2026 09:02 PM IST

Norway Chess: D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa Claim Big Losses

facebook

twitter

Settings

Change Font Size

A A
Change Language

हिंदी | Hindi
Focus on Story

Select Language

Languages
हिंदी | Hindi

Dark / Light mode

Featured Links
Featured Sports
- Cricket
- Football
- Formula 1
- Tennis
- Hockey
- Golf
- Badminton
More Sports
- Kabaddi
- Boxing
- Athletics
- Chess
- Swimming
- Shooting
- Wrestling
- Table tennis
- Othersports
More from NDTV
- NDTV
- Business
- Hindi
- Movies
- Cricket
- Health
- Food
- Tech
- Auto
- Apps
- Trains

Chess

News
Videos

arrow-down reddit snapchat twitter facebook comments email printer search bell top-nav reddit-fill snapchat-fill twitter-fill facebook-fill share whatsapp-fill bookmark arrow-rgt arrow-next arrow-up refresh close link cog star book zap cricket football tennis formula-1 badminton hockey golf boxing ndtv-n check left-arrow right-arrow

Live Cricket Matches

Cricket Matches
Football Matches
All Matches

India Matches

IPL 2026

Football Matches

Cricket Matches
Football Matches
All Matches

ISL

EPL

All Matches

Cricket Matches
Football Matches
All Matches

India Matches

EPL

Match 11, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier A, 2026 at Bangi, Oct 9, 2026

notify

notify

Kuwait

Bahrain

Fri, Oct 9, 2026 - 6:45 AM IST
Match 10, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier A, 2026 at Kuala Lumpur, Oct 9, 2026

notify

notify

Mongolia

Thailand

Fri, Oct 9, 2026 - 6:45 AM IST
Match 12, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier A, 2026 at Kuala Lumpur, Oct 9, 2026

notify

notify

Qatar

Myanmar

Fri, Oct 9, 2026 - 6:45 AM IST
Match 1, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier B, 2026 at Kuala Lumpur, Oct 8, 2026

China

96 (16.3)

Maldives

100/0 (10.1)

Maldives beat China by 10 wickets
Match 3, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier B, 2026 at Kuala Lumpur, Oct 8, 2026

Malaysia

72/5 (10.0)

Hong Kong, China

140/5 (20.0)

Hong Kong, China beat Malaysia by 7 runs (DLS method)
Match 2, ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub Regional Qualifier B, 2026 at Bangi, Oct 8, 2026

Saudi Arabia

174/7 (20.0)

Singapore

99/7 (20.0)

Saudi Arabia beat Singapore by 75 runs

Sports Home Chess News Norway Chess D Gukesh R Praggnanandhaa Claim Big Losses

Story ProgressBack to home

Norway Chess: D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa Claim Big Losses

D Gukesh ran out of steam and surrendered to Wesley So in Armageddon after failing to convert his classical promise.

PTI
Updated: May 27, 2026 01:53 pm IST

Read Time: 3 min

facebook

twitter

E-mail

File image of D Gukesh© X (Formerly Twitter)

D Gukesh ran out of steam and surrendered to Wesley So in Armageddon after failing to convert his classical promise, while red-hot Frenchman Alireza Firouzja tore past R Praggnanandhaa to storm to the top on a bruising second day for the Indians at Norway Chess in Oslo. Defending champion Magnus Carlsen was pushed to the brink yet again by German sensation Vincent Keymer before the seven-time champion finally escaped with an Armageddon victory, clawing his way to his first points of the tournament after another fierce battle.

Despite the disappointing second-round Armageddon result, Gukesh stayed joint second with So on 2.5 points, while the rampant Firouzja opened up a commanding lead with six points after back-to-back wins.

Praggnanandhaa and Carlsen, meanwhile, languished at the bottom with 1.5 points each in the prestigious event.

To make matters worse for Gukesh, who will turn 20 in a couple of days, So bluntly remarked after the game that he was "not quite sure" the Indian was as strong as his rating suggested.

Gukesh, visibly shaken by the Armageddon defeat, tried to put up a brave face during his mandatory broadcast duties, but the frustration was hard to miss when he walked away with anger and disappointment written all over his face.

In the marathon classical battle lasting 116 moves, it was Gukesh who did most of the pressing and appeared to be cruising towards the winning line before So somehow escaped with a draw.

The American then completely outplayed the Indian in Armageddon, claiming 1.5 points to Gukesh's one and handing the world champion a crushing disappointment.

Praggnanandhaa appeared to be following a promising winning path against Firouzja early on, but the battered Frenchman -- hobbling around in a moon boot, wheeled in by his second and clutching crutches because of a badly injured ankle -- once again showed remarkable grit and class to turn the game around and beat the Indian with surprising ease.

The Frenchman later said, "I'm trying to play chess. I have a lot of pain, but it's something that keeps me focused -- it makes me not think about pain." In a roller-coaster contest filled with momentum swings, Carlsen was stretched to the limit by gritty 21-year-old Keymer.

The Norwegian twice let winning positions slip, draining the magic from his game, but after quickly regrouping following the draw, Carlsen returned in Armageddon to finally open his account in the tournament.

Divya Deshmukh loving it

In the women's competition, the vivacious Divya Deshmukh appears to be thoroughly enjoying her maiden Norway Chess adventure.

On Tuesday, much like her memorable win over two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy at last year's Women's World Cup, she once again got the better of the Indian veteran in Armageddon, clinching another morale-boosting victory to climb into joint second with three points.

Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva, meanwhile, continued her dream run at the top with 4.5 points.

"I'm having a lot of fun with the Armageddon games here -- I love them. I'm actually enjoying the classical games too because there's no increment. It's my first time at Norway Chess, so it's been really exciting," said Divya, whose carefree approach continues to light up the tournament.

She even made a couple of visits to the 'Confession Room' -- a Norway Chess innovation introduced in 2015 -- something that the other Indian players have largely avoided over the years, seemingly wary of revealing their thoughts mid-game.

A confession room is a private, soundproof booth placed near the playing hall where players can briefly step away during a game to share candid, unfiltered thoughts into a live camera and microphone, offering viewers a rare glimpse into their mindset and emotions in the middle of battle.

"I think it helps me because when I go there, I can talk about what is going on in my mind and it helps me to calculate better," Divya said.

Tournament leader Bibisara continued her dream start here, defeating Zhu Jiner in Armageddon after a tense and tactical classical battle.

The Kazakh star once again thrived under pressure in the faster format to pocket the extra points and tighten her grip on the top spot.

Defending champion Anna Muzychuk overcame reigning women's world champion Ju Wenjun in Armageddon to cap another dramatic day of high-stakes battles.

Round 2: Open - 1. Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 6, Wesley So 2.5, D Gukesh 2.5, Magnus Carlsen 1.5, R Praggnanandhaa 1.5. Women - Bibisara Assaubayeva 4.5, Divya Deshmukh 3, Anna Muzychuk 2.5, Zhu Jiner 2.5, Ju Wenjun 2, Koneru Humpy 1.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)