Norway Chess 2026 Round 3: R Praggnanandhaa has once again brought down the world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen, after securing his first classical win in Norway Chess Round 3, which was held in Oslo on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old Indian Grandmaster has produced one of his best games in recent months, defeating Magnus Carlsen in 62 moves to get up to second place in the open section. This marked Magnus Carlsen’s second defeat out of three rounds in the tournament.
Round 3 of Norway Chess was another memorable day for Indian fans, as Divya remains unbeaten in the women’s section by securing her third consecutive Armageddon win. On the other hand, R. Praggnanandhaa also performed his best game against Magnus Carlsen to secure the win.
R Praggnanandhaa’s Game In Round 3
While entering Norway Chess’ Round 3, R Praggnanandhaa was under so much pressure as he just managed to get one point from the last two rounds. under pressure after managing just one point from his opening two rounds.
Magnus Carlsen, opponent R. Praggnanandhaa, also had an inconsistent start. In the opening round, he lost to Alireza Firouzja just before defeating Vincent Keymer in Armageddon. Playing with his white pieces, R Praggnanandhaa adopted a very aggressive approach in the Najdorf variation, immediately punching forward on the kingside with an attacking pawn thrust.
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Magnus Carlsen accepted material advantages early on but appeared to underestimate White’s coordination and the danger posed by Praggnanandhaa advancing passed pawns.
As the game continued, the Indian Grandmaster increased the pressure with active rook play and precise knight manoeuvres, which gradually exposed Magnus Carlsen’s King. Despite attempting the counterplay with his own passed pawn, Magnus Carlsen was unable to recover the control of the position.
R Praggnanandhaa converted the advantage in the endgame before Magnus Carlsen gave up on move 62.
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The frustration was pretty visible on Carlsen’s face, instantly after the defeat. He just sat staring upward for a few moments in disbelief before leaving the board.
With the win, Praggnanandhaa jumped to 4.5 points and moved into second place in the standings.
Divya Deshmukh’s Remains Unbeaten
India’s strong win continued in the Norway Women’s Chess as well, through Divya Deshmukh.
The 20-year-old from Nagpur, India, remained unbeaten in the tournament after defeating Bibisara Assaubayeva in Armageddon, her third straight tiebreak victory in the competition.
Divya’s debut campaign has already included wins over some of the biggest names in women’s chess. She defeated women’s world champion Ju Wenjun in Round 1 and India’s best Koneru Humpy in Round 2, then followed up with this result in women’s world blitz champion Assaubayeva.
Playing with the black pieces, Divya first managed to hold Assaubayeva to a draw in the classical game before entering Armageddon with draw odds in her favour.
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Bibisara adopted a flexible English opening setup in the tiebreak, but Divya gradually equalised before taking control in the middlegame with a sharp breakthrough.
From there, the Indian youngster dictated the pace of the game with active rook play and strong knight coordination. Despite stubborn resistance from Assaubayeva, Divya maintained complete control in the game and secured her third consecutive victory.
Gukesh Loses in Armageddon Round
Another major clash in the open section was between D Gukesh and Alireza Firouzja.
Firouzja entered the round with a perfect 6/6 score and had quickly become one of the biggest stories of the tournament after defeating Carlsen earlier in the week.
Gukesh managed to stop the French Grandmaster’s run of classical victories by securing a draw in the main game.
However, he could not capitalise on Armageddon and eventually lost the tiebreak despite playing with the white pieces.
Firouzja’s win allowed him to maintain his lead at the top of the standings. Now, Gukesh will face Magnus Carlsen in the next round.
Koneru Humpy Continues Disappointment
It was another difficult day for Koneru Humpy in the women’s section. The Indian veteran suffered her third consecutive Armageddon defeat, this time against defending champion Anna Muzychuk.
The result has left Koneru Humpy at the bottom of the standings with just two points from a possible nine.
Elsewhere, Zhu Jiner defeated reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun in an all-Chinese Norway Chess Armageddon clash.
Norway Chess Standings After Round 3
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
| 1 | ALIREZA FIROUZJA | 7.5 |
| 2 | PRAGGNANANDHAA R | 4.5 |
| 3 | WESLEY SO | 4 |
| 4 | GUKESH D | 3.5 |
| 5 | VINCENT KEYMER | 3 |
| 6 | MAGNUS CARLSEN | 1.5 |
Norway Chess Women’s Standings After Round 3
| Rank | Player Name | Points |
| 1 | BIBISARA ASSAUBAYEVA | 5.5 |
| 2 | DIVYA DESHMUKH | 4.5 |
| 3 | ANNA MUZYCHUCK | 4 |
| 4 | ZHU JINER | 4 |
| 5 | JU WENJUN | 3 |
| 6 | HUMPY KONERU | 2 |
Also Read:Norway Chess 2026 Round 2: Divya Deshmukh Stuns Koneru Humpy; Pragg And Gukesh End Empty-Handed
