GM Wesley So leads Norway Chess 2026 after spherical seven, with GM Alireza Firouzja 2.5 factors behind. World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju achieved a successful place towards So however could not see it by within the classical sport; regardless of successful the armageddon sport, Gukesh is in final place. GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu inflicted a second consecutive classical loss on Firouzja, however that did not change the latter’s standing. Lastly, GM Vincent Keymer vs. GM Magnus Carlsen featured an attention-grabbing King’s Indian battle, but it surely resulted in a draw and the world number-one went on to win in armageddon.
GM Bibisara Assaubayeva prolonged her lead in Norway Chess Ladies 2026 to 2.5 factors after pouncing on an enormous blunder by GM Zhu Jiner to seize a second classical win. GM Divya Deshmukh, in second place, bamboozled GM Koneru Humpy in a Benko Gambit, however stated she “noticed ghosts” and needed to be content material with the comfort of successful the armageddon. GM Anna Muzychuk edged forward of GM Ju Wenjun by inflicting a sixth armageddon loss in a row on the ladies’s world champion, however Ju had earlier been near a classical win.
Spherical eight begins Tuesday, June 2, at 11 a.m. ET / 17:00 CEST / 8:30 p.m. IST.
Praggnanandhaa and Assaubayeva scored the 2 classical wins of the day.
Norway Chess Spherical 7: Outcomes
The highest of the standings stay unchanged, with So and Firouzja, in addition to Assaubayeva and Divya, within the first two locations.
Norway Chess Spherical 7: Standings
Norway Chess Spherical 7: So, Firouzja Stay On High
Gukesh 1.5-1 So
The classical sport was a missed alternative for Gukesh, though even a classical loss for So would have left him within the lead. The event chief sacrificed a pawn out of the opening, in Marshall Assault model, although it shortly went downhill. In response to WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, So stated this got here from a Chessable course, although the road may not go precisely the way in which he performed it.
At the price of spending loads of time—one thing that will come again to chew Gukesh—the world champion primarily performed all one of the best strikes for an extended stretch. 28.Kf1!!, particularly, was praised by all three commentators on the printed, making use of the king as an energetic piece within the middlegame. By this level, Gukesh regarded near successful, however he had simply 18 minutes towards almost an hour.
So sacrificed an trade and fought valiantly to equalize the sport. Actually, within the closing place, he had almost 20 minutes towards beneath one in an equal however difficult place—however he provided a draw that was instantly accepted. GM David Howell stated, “I feel Wesley, if he does not win the event, will remorse that second.”
The world champion received the armageddon sport with a courageous pawn seize on the queenside. Each gamers undoubtedly knew that 20.Qxa5?! was doubtful, however what can White do? He should win on demand, and So did not show the compensation.
The essential second was at 23.Qb5, when So might have regretted placing his king on f8 for the reason that pawn now drops with examine. Had he performed 23…Kg8!, nevertheless, he might nonetheless have chased that queen down. As an alternative, Gukesh grabbed a second pawn and the queen was by no means trapped.
So stays within the lead and Firouzja, who misplaced a second time in a row, continues to be his closest trailer.
Praggnanandhaa 3-0 Firouzja
The one different sport to start out with 1.e4 was additionally an Italian Opening, and for a very long time it was a quiet one. White’s benefit got here and went, however constantly Firouzja was decrease on the clock. By transfer 26, Praggnanandhaa had picked up an additional pawn, however Firouzja had compensation due to that stallion on d4. The issue was the clock.
Praggnanandhaa started to press on the place, however particularly the clock. When he discovered the star transfer of the sport, an trade sacrifice with 35.Ra1!!, he was already higher and Firouzja had two minutes to defend towards a ferocious assault.
Praggnanandhaa went on to spherical up the uncovered black king and rating his second classical win within the event, after defeating Carlsen in spherical three. GM Dejan Bojkov annotates the Recreation of the Day beneath.
Within the closing sport, Carlsen might have picked up an armageddon win, however he’ll want to start out successful in classical video games if he is to catch as much as the chief.
Keymer 1-1.5 Carlsen
Carlsen visited the confessional only one time throughout the classical sport, and it was to elucidate what he was occupied with for quarter-hour on the primary two strikes. “I used to be attempting to take a look at this place as if I hadn’t seen it earlier than,” he stated, and with amusing added, “You would not consider the stuff I used to be contemplating there!”
“I used to be attempting to take a look at this place as if I hadn’t seen it earlier than,” says Magnus, who remembers speaking to someone in regards to the opening not too long ago however cannot keep in mind that it was Howell!#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/7rVPQBA14m
— chess24 (@chess24com) June 1, 2026
After a lot deliberation, he lastly landed on taking part in the King’s Indian Protection with the unusual plan of 6…Re8 and 7…Bd7, and revealed that he’d talked to somebody not too long ago about this very plan, although he could not keep in mind who—and hoped it wasn’t Keymer himself. That will be embarrassing! Seems he talked to Howell, who remembered having that dialog in a scorching tub after successful the ChessParty event in Stockholm. Howell was on the white aspect of the opening and stated he received.
“I simply tried to do one thing to get a sport and we received that to some extent,” Carlsen stated after the sport. “I clearly was worse on the get-go,” however he felt it was “manageable.” As clocks received low, Carlsen “sort of misplaced hope” and the sport resulted in a draw; either side acquired an accuracy rating increased than 98 for this sport.
Carlsen had the black items in armageddon and made the draw. On the floor, it seems like he simply killed the sport with a Semi-Tarrasch and liquidated down from there. However there was one essential second, when Keymer might have picked up a pawn with 17.Qxd5. Had been it performed, Carlsen would have needed to present some magic to attract a clean-pawn-down place.
As soon as that was missed, nevertheless, Keymer by no means received one other likelihood in what would find yourself as his sixth armageddon loss.
Carlsen has three rounds left if he is to make a comeback. He stated, “I am attempting to do one thing to get the video games going for positive, however I am in all probability going to want a variety of classical wins. It did not go my means right this moment, however I am going to preserve attempting. At the very least we received a pleasant, combating sport.”
Norway Chess Ladies Spherical 7: Assaubayeva Extends Lead
Assaubayeva 3-0 Zhu
Assaubayeva identified she has a surprising document towards Zhu within the final half 12 months, successful seven of their eight video games. Plenty of these had been blitz, however the run additionally consists of beating the Chinese language star twice within the all-important FIDE Ladies’s Candidates Match.
The newest classical win in Oslo meant that Assaubayeva took over as world number-four on the ladies’s reside score checklist.
Assaubayeva admitted, “I used to be fortunate in a couple of video games,” and stated of the Norway Chess win, “I feel it was an odd sport.”
I feel it was an odd sport.
—Bibisara Assaubayeva
Assaubayeva defined she had a giant benefit out of the opening, with Zhu admitting she was “beneath critical strain” and did not know the road performed.
Assaubayeva wasn’t blissful both, nevertheless, since she gave Zhu probabilities to get proper again into the sport. Zhu did not profit from them, however her place was very a lot playable till, with 46 minutes on her clock, she spent beneath a minute on 21…Bxd5??, dropping an entire piece and the sport.
It “was only a blunder,” stated Zhu, who had suffered a second classical loss in Oslo, whereas Assaubayeva’s second classical win assured she’d stay the only real chief going into spherical eight. Actually, outcomes elsewhere would all fall in her favor.
Humpy 1-1.5 Divya
Divya began the day one level behind Assaubayeva and, regardless of the chief’s win, appeared on track to win the all-Indian battle in classical chess and preserve tempo. Divya performed the hyper-aggressive Benko Gambit and went on to get full compensation for the pawn.
One mistake on transfer 18 and it appeared Humpy’s place was hopeless, as Divya discovered 19…Qa8!, focusing on f3, but additionally making ready …Ng5 and attacking the large holes across the white king.
It felt a matter of time till Divya hauled within the three factors, however ultimately Humpy would escape with a draw. What had gone fallacious? Divya defined:
I began seeing ghosts and that’s the one purpose I didn’t win. Nothing was occurring within the place and I noticed each successful transfer. Truly, after I performed 34…Bd4? I needed to go 34…c4, however I don’t know, my thoughts hallucinated and I as an alternative went Bd4, which was not that good, and after that it was equal.
I began seeing ghosts and that is the one purpose I did not win.
—Divya Deshmukh
Divya nonetheless managed to seize a win in armageddon which means she will be able to overtake Assaubayeva if she wins in classical chess after they meet in spherical eight.
Once more she performed the Benko, and although Humpy deviated first and gained a tremendous place, it collapsed in a couple of strikes. Divya put the blame on 15.Qe6?!, saying, “I didn’t like this Qe6 plan, as a result of it wasn’t understanding, and I feel she began to panic just a little bit within the time hassle.”
It was an identical story within the closing match-up, with Ju this time the participant to overlook out in classical chess.
Ju 1-1.5 Muzychuk
After 5 classical attracts, Ladies’s World Champion Ju scored her first win in spherical six, and it appeared she would proceed to climb the standings with one other win in spherical seven. For a lot of the sport she outplayed Muzychuk, however when the clearest likelihood was missed on transfer 42, the benefit fizzled out.
Ju is a former ladies’s world blitz champion and two-time ladies’s world speedy champion, however to this point in Oslo she’s been unrecognizable within the sooner time format. It was no nice shock, then, that she fell to a sixth armageddon loss in a row.
Muzychuk constructed up a bonus, however the sport was very a lot nonetheless within the steadiness till Ju thought for one minute and 22 seconds, dropping behind on the clock for the primary time within the sport, earlier than taking part in the shedding 22.Nd4?, permitting her queen to be trapped.
That win noticed Muzychuk edge half a degree forward of Ju into sole third place, nonetheless inside three-point win vary of the chief.
The important thing match-up in spherical eight of the Ladies’s occasion will probably be second-place Divya taking part in White towards Assaubayeva—a classical win and he or she’d regain the only real lead, whereas a win for the Kazakh star would put her near clinching the title.
In Norway Chess, So, Firouzja, and Carlsen have the white items. It is the ultimate stretch, and there is a relaxation day after the following spherical.
Colin McGourty contributed to this report.
How you can watch?
Norway Chess 2026 options Open and Ladies’s six-player tournaments for equal prize funds of 1,690,000 NOK (~$182k). It runs Might 25 to June 5 in Oslo, with gamers going through their opponents twice at classical chess (120 minutes/40 strikes, with a 10-second increment from transfer 41). The winner of a classical sport will get three factors, the loser, zero; after a draw, the gamers get one level and struggle for an additional half-point in armageddon (10 minutes for White, seven for Black, who has draw odds).
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