Norway: Gukesh Dommaraju, a progressive chess player, has finally booked his first win in the Round 5 of the prestigious Norway Chess tournament 2026, and that too against his own countryman Praggnanandhaa. This moment is remarkable as the all-Indian clash went in Gukesh’s luck with the black pieces. The win was crucial for him and pushed him into the third position, overthrowing Praggnanandhaa and putting him on the fourth stand.
Gukesh, after the intense 47 moves, prompted the opponent to give up and resign. Gukesh was relieved as he hadn’t won any game so far, apart from the Armageddon win against Vincent Keymer in Round 1. Round 5 was a thriller, as two out of three games from the round turned out in favor of the black pieces, while one game led to a draw. Alireza Firouzja is currently leading the table with his winning reign, which included a close finish against Vincent Keymer. On the same day, the legendary Magnus Carlsen fell prey to Wesley So’s mastery and slipped an important game from his fingers, continuing his loose form. The losses are making it difficult for the seven-time Norway Chess champion to transform it into another title.
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After five rounds, the standings now show Firouzja comfortably leading the table with 10.0 points. Wesley So is sitting second with 8.5 points, followed by Gukesh on 6.5 points. Praggnanandhaa is fourth with 6.0 points, Keymer fifth with 5.0, and Carlsen sixth with 4.5 points.
Gukesh won against the prodigious Praggnanandhaa, who once feared the greatest players and has performed aggressively in his early years, including the famous win against Magnus, whom Gukesh has also beaten in a stressing game.
On the other hand, Divya Deshmukh is leading the Women’s Norway Chess 2026 by a high margin and has won against Bibisara Assaubayeva and China’s Zhu Jiner in Round 5 to climb to the top of the table. The winner of the 2025 Women’s World Cup now leads the standings with 8.5 points, while Bibisara is second with 8.0 points. Muzychuk is third (7.0), followed by Jiner in fourth place (5.5). The reigning Women’s World Champion, Ju Wenjun, sits fifth (5.0), while veteran Indian GM Koneru Humpy is at the bottom with 4.5 points.
With the competitive standings, the games scheduled ahead will be pivotal for every player’s fuel. It is only with time that we will know the winner of Norway Chess 2026 in June.
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