Norway Chess 2026: Injured Alireza Firouzja Stuns Magnus Carlsen; Indian Trio Wins in Armageddon
Norway Chess 2026 starts with a bang! Injured Alireza Firouzja defeated Magnus Carlsen to start the tournament on a high note. On the 1st day, there were 2 decisive results in the standard format, including both the Men's and Women's sections. Bibisara defeated Koneru Humpy to start her campaign. It was a wonderful day for other Indian players as Gukesh scored a win over Vincent Keymer in Armageddon, Praggnanandhaa defeated Wesley So, and Divya Deshmukh won against the reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun in Armageddon. Photos: Michal Walusza / Norway Chess
Gukesh, Pragg, and Divya win in Armageddon
World Champion D Gukesh was up against Vincent Keymer, who won the Super Chess Classic 2026 just 2 days before this event. The classical game was a draw, and in Armageddon, Gukesh scored a win with white pieces. Praggnanandhaa defeated Wesley So, while Divya scored a big win over Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun.
Check out the games
Now we bring you the action of this round!
Alireza Firouzja vs. Magnus Carlsen
This was the 10th classical clash between Alireza and Magnus. Before this, Alireza was not able to win any game, and the score was in favour of Magnus, as he won 5 games and the other 4 games ended in a draw, but this time, Alireza's fighting spirit paid off. Even after an ankle injury and a cast on his leg, he played, keeping his leg on the chair, and toppled the World No.1
Magnus was already 2 pawns down, and he made a huge blunder and played 33.Kg8, which allows white to push the pawns with tempo, and after a few moves, Magnus resigned.
D Gukesh vs. Vincent Keymer
Gukesh was in a tough spot against Vincent in the queen endgame, but he showed resilience and drew the game, and after that, he played a brilliant game to win the Armageddon
The classical game ended in a draw | Photo: Michal Walusza / Norway Chess
R Praggnanandhaa vs Wesley So
Pragg and Wesley made a quick draw in classical; Praggnanandhaa prevailed in Armageddon and won a nice attacking game
Replay the Games of Classical Format
Norway Chess Women
Koneru Humpy suffered a tough loss against Bibisara Assaubayeva | Photo: Michal Walusza / Norway Chess
Replay the Games of Classical Format
Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, Norway Chess
Spectators watching the game | Photo: Michal Walusza / Norway Chess
Video Gallery: Here
Lineup
Men: Magnus Carlsen, Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, Alireza Firouzja, R Praggnanandhaa, and D Gukesh
Women: Zhu Jiner, Koneru Humpy, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Ju Wenjun, Anna Muzychuk, and Divya Deshmukh
Venue: Deichman Bjørvika, Oslo!
Schedule
Format
6 players will take part in the Tournament. The Tournament is a double-round event with Armageddon in case of a tie. The Tournament consists of 10 rounds. Berger tables will be used for the pairings. Drawing of lots will be done at the Technical Meeting. The default time is 15 minutes.
Time Control
Each player will have 120 minutes on the clock with an increment of 10 seconds starting from move 41. The time control for the Armageddon game: white has 10 minutes, and black has 7 minutes with an increment for both players of 1 second per move, starting from move 41.
Draw by Mutual Agreement
Players are not allowed to agree to a draw until at least 30 moves have been made by each player. This rule does not apply to Armageddon games.
Armageddon
If the classical game is drawn, an Armageddon game will be played. It shall start within 20 minutes of the conclusion of the classical game. The player with White pieces will continue with White in Armageddon. If the Armageddon game is drawn, black will win.
Points
Players will get the following points per round:
Win in the classical game: 3 points
Loss in the classical game: 0 points
Draw in the classical game & win Armageddon: 1½ points
Draw in the classical game & loss Armageddon: 1 point
Prize money
Links
Norway Chess: Official site, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube