Wesley So remains the sole leader at the Norway Chess super-tournament after Monday's round seven, increasing his advantage at the top to 2½ points. The US grandmaster, who entered the round after claiming back-to-back classical wins, was under pressure in his classical game against world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, but held the draw and then lost the Armageddon decider.
So's closest rival, Alireza Firouzja, lost ground for a second day in a row. After leading the tournament throughout the event's first half, the French representative suffered a second consecutive classical defeat, this time against Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.
The remaining matchup of the day saw Magnus Carlsen use the King's Indian Defence with black against Vincent Keymer. The classical game was well played by both sides and ended in a 57-move draw. In the tiebreaker, Keymer had one opportunity to create a more imbalanced position in the early middlegame, but once he missed it, Carlsen was able to simplify without difficulty and secure the draw he needed.
With three rounds to go, So leads the standings, 2½ points ahead of Firouzja. A point behind the French grandmaster are Carlsen, Keymer and Pragg, while Gukesh is last, another point further back. In round eight, the two frontrunners will have the white pieces: So faces Keymer, while Firouzja meets Gukesh.
Round 7 results
| White | Result | Black |
| Praggnanandhaa R. | 3 - 0 | Alireza Firouzja |
| Gukesh Dommaraju | 1½ - 1 | Wesley So |
| Vincent Keymer | 1 - 1½ | Magnus Carlsen |
Standings after round 7
| Player | Rating | Federation | Points |
| Wesley So | 2754 | United States | 12½ |
| Alireza Firouzja | 2759 | France | 10 |
| Magnus Carlsen | 2840 | Norway | 9 |
| Vincent Keymer | 2759 | Germany | 9 |
| Praggnanandhaa R. | 2733 | India | 9 |
| Gukesh Dommaraju | 2732 | India | 8 |
In the one classical game that ended decisively, Pragg built a clear advantage on the clock, which became important when the position sharpened in the critical phase. The key moment came when the Indian grandmaster found 35.Ra1!, a tactical resource that first gave him the advantage and then allowed him to convert the full three points.
By this point in the game, Alireza Firouzja already knew he was in trouble | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu came from suffering two painful losses in classical games | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza
The tournament leader faced an inspired Gukesh in the classical game, with the world champion finding a few remarkable moves in a complex middlegame. His 28.Kf1! was particularly strong, defending the rook on e1 and thus dealing with the pin on the e-file.
Unfortunately for Gukesh, his in-form opponent never stopped playing quickly and confidently. As time trouble became an increasingly relevant factor, So not only restored the balance but seemed to have chances to take over the initiative. Still, the Filipino-born GM ended up accepting his opponent's draw offer on move 40, when the position was objectively balanced, but Gukesh had 1 minute to So's 19.
In the tiebreaker, Gukesh played enterprisingly to create winning chances out of an English Opening. So missed a critical idea on move 23 - when he was, perhaps, too eager to force a quick draw - and soon found himself in a clearly worse position.
Elite GMs discussing variations right after their game - Gukesh Dommaraju and Wesley So | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza
A smiling world champion | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza
After spending 15 minutes on the first two moves of the game, Carlsen chose to play the King's Indian Defence against Keymer. Correct play by both sides led to a draw.
In the rapid-chess tiebreaker, Keymer missed the one opportunity he had to create an imbalanced position. Carlsen was then able to simplify and secure the draw he needed to collect the extra half point.
Vincent Keymer | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza
Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza
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