Anand predicts winner between Carlsen, Gukesh and Pragg ahead of Norway Chess clash: 'He constantly defies the odds'

Former world champion Viswanathan Anand has offered a strong assessment of the upcoming Norway Chess 2026, as established stars and young challengers prepare to collide in Oslo from May 25 onwards.

The event will feature an elite field including reigning world champion D Gukesh, Indian star R Praggnanandhaa, and long-time world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Vincent Keymer, Alireza Firouzja, and Wesley So are other contenders.

Ahead of the tournament, Anand shared his predictions on Chesscom India, where he backed Carlsen to do well again. The Norwegian remains the player to beat at the upcoming event despite cutting down his playing time significantly this year.

"Much stronger than Sigeman and a different kind of vibe. Though Pragg and Gukesh are very young, I don't think they feel as new as Erdogmus and so on. I think Magnus really enjoy that challenge because he's used to the Norway kind of field. He really enjoy very young but very dangerous rivals," Anand said.

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"Despite that one bump where Jordan actually beat him in a nice game, he can be pretty happy he won many games in his trademark style and he's still scoring well. Every year you think his opponents will really be able to do something about him this year and he constantly defies the odds," he added.

Carlsen, Gukesh, and Pragg's form heading into Norway Chess

Carlsen heads into Norway Chess 2026 after winning the TePe Sigeman & Co 2026 tournament in dramatic fashion. He finished tied for first place with India's Arjun Erigaisi before winning the title in a sudden-death tiebreak game. Carlsen's only defeat in the tournament was against Dutch grandmaster Jorden van Foreest.

Meanwhile, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa have endured mixed form in 2026. Pragg struggled at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament before producing an inconsistent campaign at the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 and the Grand Chess Tour: Superbet Chess Classic Romania.

World champion Gukesh has also found it difficult to maintain consistency since winning the title against Ding Liren in 2024. After disappointing performances at Tata Steel and the Prague Chess Festival, he announced a break from long-form chess to focus on preparation ahead of his world title defence against Javokhir Sindarov later this year.