Firouzja Continues Dream Run at Norway Chess; Divya Outplays Humpy in Armageddon

Oslo — The second round of Norway Chess 2026 delivered another day of gripping contests, with French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja extending his impressive start by defeating Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa in the only classical win of the open section.

Firouzja slowly took control of the game from the middlegame phase and converted his positional advantage with calm and precise endgame play. The victory marked his second consecutive classical triumph, helping him move clear at the top of the standings in Oslo.

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen had to dig deep before overcoming Germany’s Vincent Keymer in Armageddon. Their classical game ended in a hard-fought draw despite Carlsen pressing for most of the endgame. Keymer defended stubbornly to force the tiebreak, but Carlsen eventually clinched the bonus points in the faster format.

In another closely fought encounter, reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju and American GM Wesley So shared the point after a tense classical battle. Wesley So later came out on top in Armageddon to secure the extra points.

The women’s section also witnessed intense battles, with all three classical games ending in draws before being decided through Armageddon games.

Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva continued her unbeaten run by defeating China’s Zhu Jiner in the tiebreaker, helping her stay ahead in the standings.

One of the biggest highlights of the day was the all-Indian clash between Divya Deshmukh and veteran star Koneru Humpy. After a balanced classical game ended level, Divya held her composure in Armageddon to earn a crucial victory and valuable bonus points.

Elsewhere, Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk defeated reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun in another Armageddon decider.

After two rounds, Firouzja and Assaubayeva have emerged as the early pace-setters as Norway Chess 2026 continues to produce thrilling contests and dramatic finishes.

With inputs from IANS