Magnus Carlsen suffered his second loss to R Praggnanandhaa in Norway Chess 2026, Round 8. The World No. 1 lost to the Indian GM with black pieces, after Praggnanandhaa had earlier beaten him with white pieces. Praggnanandhaa now has 12 points, two behind Wesley So (14), who leads the standings.
Carlsen felt he had defended well, but missed the decisive bishop move. Praggnanandhaa said he was happy to still be in the title race and that every game is crucial from now on.
Other pairings for Round 9 include So vs Carlsen, Firouzja vs Keymer, and Praggnanandhaa vs Gukesh. In the women's section, Divya Deshmukh is third with 10 points, alongside Zhu Jiner.
