India's Pragg beats Magnus Carlsen twice on the Norwegian's home turf
Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen in rounds four and eight in Norway Chess 2026.
Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen in rounds four and eight in Norway Chess 2026.
Praggnanandhaa defeated Magnus Carlsen in rounds four and eight in Norway Chess 2026.
India's R Praggnanandhaa can take pride in doing something very few in the elite chess world manage - beating Magnus Carlsen, not once but twice in the same tournament.
Pragg, as the 20-year-old Indian ace is affectionately called, defeated the World No 1 in rounds four and eight on the superstar's home turf, in Norway Chess 2026.
In round eight, Carlsen, playing white, made a blunder in the endgame, allowing Pragg to snatch an exciting win over 50 moves. In their earlier meeting, Pragg won a wild endgame with black pieces.
Carlsen has not been at his best in the tournament, suffering four defeats already, with Alireza Firouzja and Wesley So also getting positive scores against the Norwegian.
Carlsen, who has been World No 1 since 2011, is arguably the strongest player in the world across all formats. He has a classical rating of 2841.
Norway Chess 2026 is a six-player event, also featuring India's World Champion D Gukesh. After eight rounds, Carlsen and Gukesh were placed fifth and sixth respectively in the points table. There are two more rounds in the tournament.