The 2026 edition of Norway Chess got underway in Oslo with a dramatic opening round as Indian Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh clinched hard-fought Armageddon victories after their classical games ended in draws. Praggnanandhaa defeated Wesley So in the tiebreaker following a balanced classical contest. The Indian Grandmaster produced an aggressive attacking display in the Armageddon game to claim the bonus points.
World champion Gukesh, meanwhile, overcame a difficult challenge from Germany’s Vincent Keymer. Keymer held the upper hand in the classical game and appeared on course for victory in the endgame, but Gukesh defended resolutely to force a draw. Carrying the momentum into the Armageddon decider, the Indian turned the tables to seal the tiebreak win.
The biggest upset of the opening round came in the open section, where French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja defeated world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess. Carlsen looked in control for much of the game but faltered under severe time pressure, allowing Firouzja to capitalise on a crucial mistake and register the only classical victory in the open section.
In the women’s competition, reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun was held to a draw in the classical game by India’s Divya Deshmukh. Divya then produced an impressive performance in the Armageddon tiebreak to secure the win. Another major result in the women’s section saw Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva defeat Indian No. 1 Koneru Humpy in classical chess. Assaubayeva handled the middlegame confidently before converting her advantage with precision.
In another match, Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner drew their classical encounter, after which Zhu emerged victorious in Armageddon to collect the additional points. At the end of Round 1, Firouzja led the open standings following the only classical win of the day, while Assaubayeva topped the women’s section.
