Oslo(Norway), 26 May (H.S.): Norway Chess 2026 began with thrilling encounters, as the opening round witnessed intense battles in both classical and Armageddon formats. Indian players delivered an impressive performance, marking a strong start to the tournament.

The biggest upset of the day came on Monday when France’s Alireza Firouzja defeated world number one Magnus Carlsen in their classical game. Carlsen appeared to be in a dominant position for most of the match, but under time pressure he made a critical mistake, which Firouzja capitalised on to secure victory. With this win, the French grandmaster took an early lead in the tournament standings.

Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa played out a draw in his classical match against Wesley So. However, in the subsequent Armageddon tie-break, Praggnanandhaa displayed aggressive play to clinch victory and earn additional points.

World Champion D. Gukesh faced Germany’s top player Vincent Keymer. In the endgame, Keymer reached a winning position and appeared close to victory, but Gukesh produced a brilliant defensive effort to secure a draw. He then went on to win the Armageddon tie-break, earning crucial bonus points.

After the first round, Firouzja leads the standings following his classical win.

### Strong Win for Divya in Women’s Section

The women’s section of Norway Chess also witnessed exciting matches on the opening day.

Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva caused a major upset by defeating India’s top-ranked player Koneru Humpy in their classical game. She made the most of midgame opportunities with precise play to secure the win.

The classical match between Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner ended in a draw, with Zhu Jiner winning the Armageddon tie-break.

Meanwhile, the classical game between reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun and India’s Divya Deshmukh ended in a draw. Ju Wenjun kept applying pressure for a win, but Divya showed remarkable composure. In the Armageddon game, Divya delivered an excellent performance to secure victory.

After the first round, Bibisara Assaubayeva leads the women’s standings.

### Tournament Till June 5

Norway Chess 2026 is being held in Oslo from May 25 to June 5. The tournament features two parallel super events in the open and women’s categories. Both sections include six players competing in a double round-robin format, with equal prize money for both categories.

A unique feature of the tournament is its format: if a classical game ends in a draw, an Armageddon tie-break is played to decide the winner, ensuring decisive results in every round.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar