Oslo: Norway Chess 2026 opened with high drama in Oslo as Indian stars R Praggnanandhaa and World Champion D Gukesh launched their campaigns with gritty Armageddon victories after hard-fought drawn classical games.
While Praggnanandhaa outclassed Wesley So in the tiebreaker with an aggressive attacking display, Gukesh staged a remarkable comeback against Vincent Keymer after surviving a difficult endgame in the classical encounter.
The biggest upset of the opening round, however, came when Alireza Firouzja stunned World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess, handing the Norwegian superstar a rare defeat on home soil to take the early lead in the tournament standings.
Praggnanandhaa and Wesley So played out a balanced classical game that ended in a draw after a tense battle. The Indian Grandmaster, however, raised the tempo in the Armageddon decider and produced a sharp attacking performance to secure the bonus points.
In another gripping contest, Gukesh faced Germany’s Vincent Keymer in a strategic duel that nearly went against the Indian. Keymer outplayed the reigning world champion in the endgame and looked set for victory, but Gukesh showed tremendous defensive resilience to hold on for a draw. Carrying that momentum into Armageddon, Gukesh turned the tables and clinched the tiebreak win.
Firouzja’s victory over Carlsen proved to be the defining result of the day. Carlsen appeared in control for large parts of the game, but severe time trouble led to a costly mistake that the French Grandmaster punished clinically to register the only classical win in the open section.
In the Women’s tournament, reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun and Divya Deshmukh also ended in a draw after a tense battle in which Ju Wenjun was pressing for a win. Divya delivered a strong performance in the Armageddon decider, winning the Armageddon tiebreak game.
In another matchup, Bibisara Assaubayeva produced the standout result by defeating Indian No. 1 Koneru Humpy in classical chess. The Kazakh player handled the middlegame complications confidently before converting her advantage with precision.
Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner drew their classical encounter, after which Zhu emerged victorious in Armageddon to claim the additional points. Reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun was also held to a draw by India’s Divya Deshmukh, who later impressed with a confident Armageddon victory.
At the end of Round 1, Firouzja leads the open section after the only classical win of the day, while Assaubayeva sits atop the women’s standings.
(IANS)
