Following a hat-trick, Pragg goes into last round a half point behind So

Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Alireza Firouzja will enter the final round of Norway Chess with chances of winning the 13^th edition of the super-tournament. So remains the sole leader after round nine, but his advantage has been reduced to half a point over Pragg with Firouzja another half-point behind.

The final-round pairings make the situation particularly interesting. Firouzja will have the white pieces against So in a key encounter between title contenders, while Pragg will also play white, against Vincent Keymer. With the Norway Chess scoring system giving three points for a classical win, all three players remain firmly in contention.

How to attack - principles of training

Most players prefer to attack rather than defend. But what is the correct way to do it? GM Dr Karsten Müller has compiled many rules and motifs to guide you, along with sharpening your intuition for the exceptions.

The ninth round, played on Thursday, again produced exciting chess and greatly impacted the fight for the title. Pragg scored his third classical win in a row, defeating world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. After consecutive losses in rounds five and six, Pragg has responded with three straight classical wins - over Firouzja, Carlsen and Gukesh!

The man of the hour - Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

So also added to his score, though he first had to defend an uncomfortable position in his classical game against Magnus Carlsen. That encounter was eventually drawn, sending the match to Armageddon. In the tiebreaker, So had the white pieces and defeated Carlsen, collecting the extra half-point and keeping first place before the last day.

Firouzja's match against Keymer was the longest and most volatile of the round. Their classical game lasted 91 moves and saw both players miss clear winning chances. In Armageddon, Keymer blundered early, and Firouzja took advantage to secure the tiebreak win and remain within a point of the lead.

The results in Oslo are having a notable effect on the live ratings list. Carlsen has lost 21.3 rating points and is now "only" 28 points ahead of Fabiano Caruana at the top. So has gained two places and moved to 7^th in the world, while Pragg has climbed four spots to 12^th.

Gukesh's difficult tournament has also been reflected in the ratings. The world champion has lost 11.3 Elo points and has dropped to 25^th place in the live rankings. Among Indian players, he is now only fifth, behind Arjun Erigaisi, Pragg, Viswanathan Anand and Nihal Sarin.

Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Round 9 results

Fritz 21

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Standings after round 9

Gukesh 0-3 Praggnanandhaa

Understanding Middlegame Strategy Vol.14 Reversed Colour Systems – Benoni, Blumenfeld and Benko Gambit

You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
The Benoni family of openings has toppled world champions, decided match games under the highest pressure, and rewarded those brave enough to play them with some of the most electrifying chess imaginable. In this Fritztrainer, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov -  continuing his successful series "Understanding Middlegame Structures" - takes you deep inside the complexities of the Colour-Reversed Benoni, the Colour-Reversed Benko Gambit, and the Colour-Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Colour Reversed Banoni - Game 1

Gukesh Dommaraju defended tenaciously but was unable to escape with a draw | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Keymer 1-1½ Firouzja

Both contenders missed a number of winning chances in the classical encounter. Keymer had a clear positional edge in the middlegame, but the ever-fighting Firouzja managed to muddy the waters by playing a speculative exchange sacrifice on move 34.

Eventually, a position with queen, rook and two pawns against queen, knight and four pawns emerged. Keymer, with the rook, was still for choice at first, but then allowed Firouzja to turn the tables. However, Firouzja failed to find a path to victory while in the driver's seat.

In the ensuing rook versus knight endgame, Firouzja again achieved a big advantage, but a blunder on move 81 allowed Keymer to escape with a draw.

Following a tension-filled battle, Keymer faltered early in the tiebreaker - and Firouzja had no trouble converting his advantage into a win.

Master Class Vol.20 - Bent Larsen

In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
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Free video sample: Introduction to the Opening Section

Vincent Keymer resigns the Armageddon game | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Much in contention for the title - Alireza Firouzja | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

So 1½-1 Carlsen

After putting pressure on So in the classical game, Carlsen apparently was not motivated enough to defend a difficult position in Armageddon.

White is for choice here, but it is not at all trivial to find a way to break through, given Black's solid setup. Carlsen's 28...a5?! was a bit careless, allowing 29.Qf2 followed by 30.Qa7, and So managed to effectively infiltrate Black's camp.

Fritz 21

YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.

Under different circumstances, it is likely that the ever-pragmatic Carlsen would have found 28...Nd7, going for passive defence while playing black in a sudden-death decider. But this has not been Carlsen's tournament.

Still the sole leader - Wesley So | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

All games - Classical

All games - Armageddon

Links

• Official website
• Norway Chess announces move to Oslo for 2026 edition
• Endgame Magic with Praggnanandhaa