Gukesh beats Praggnanandhaa as Divya Deshmukh takes sole lead at Norway Chess

World champion Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in Round 5 of Norway Chess 2026, while Divya Deshmukh secured the only classical win in the women's event to move into sole first place heading into the tournament's second half.

Oslo: Round five of Norway Chess 2026 produced another dramatic day of fighting chess in Oslo, with two decisive classical games and a crucial Armageddon victory that further tightened the race for first place. One of the key results came when World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in a tense all-Indian encounter.

One of the key results came when World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in a tense all-Indian encounter.

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Praggnanandhaa held the initiative for much of the game before Gukesh seized his opportunity in the later stages. Under increasing pressure and time trouble, Praggnanandhaa was unable to hold the position, allowing the world champion to convert his advantage and secure the victory.

Wesley So claimed an important victory over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. The game developed into a long strategic struggle before So gradually gained the upper hand in the endgame. Despite Carlsen’s efforts to defend tenaciously, the American grandmaster maintained control and converted confidently to score a valuable classical win.

The remaining classical game between tournament leader Alireza Firouzja and Vincent Keymer ended in a draw.

Firouzja later prevailed in the Armageddon game to collect the extra points and strengthen his position at the top of the standings.

Norway Chess Women delivered another tense round, featuring one decisive classical result and two games that moved on to Armageddon.

The only classical victory of the day came from Indian star Divya Deshmukh, who defeated Zhu Jiner in a long endgame battle. The game remained closely contested for much of the evening, but Divya seized her opportunity in the time scramble and converted her advantage with accurate play to secure an important victory.

Bibisara Assaubayeva and Anna Muzychuk produced a hard-fought draw. Muzychuk emerged with an advantage in the middlegame and pressed for much of the encounter, but was unable to convert her edge into a full point.

The Ukrainian grandmaster later prevailed in the Armageddon tiebreak, securing the valuable extra points.

In the remaining matchup, reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun and Humpy Koneru also ended in a draw after a tense strategic battle. With neither player able to gain a lasting advantage, the contest moved to Armageddon to determine the winner of the extra points. Koneru prevailed in the Armageddon game, earning the additional points.

Deshmukh’s classical victory moves her into sole first place in the standings heading into the second half of the tournament.