Norway Chess 2026: Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa secure victories in Round 1; Carlsen stunned by Firouzja

World champion D. Gukesh appeared flustered yet showed singular antiaircraft skills to contradict Vincent Keymer earlier turning the tables connected his hostile successful the Armageddon aft securing a gully successful the Classical crippled to unfastened his run successful Norway Chess 2026 with a victory, present successful Oslo connected Monday (May 25, 2026).

Gukesh’s compatriot R. Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, attacked with intent to prevail implicit American Wesley So to commencement connected a winning note.

It was French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja, who pulled disconnected a astonishment triumph implicit World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen successful the classical game. Carlsen appeared comfy for a ample portion of the game, but made an mistake nether terrible time, allowing his hostile to drawback the initiative.

Firouzja, who suffered an ankle wounded astatine the caller Grand Chess Tour lawsuit successful Bucharest and playing portion resting his close limb connected a chair, played accurately to registry his archetypal triumph against the Norwegian successful a classical game.

The highly-rated Frenchman is successful the pb with 3 points aft a uncommon decision successful the classical format for the world’s apical player.

In the Gukesh-Keymer match, the erstwhile worked his mode to winning presumption but couldn’t find a mode to prime up afloat points. The Indian made a incorrect 50-move gully claim, handing Keymer 2 other minutes successful a clip scramble. Yet, Keymer could not negociate to find the win. Gukesh made a 2nd 50-move claim, and the crippled ended successful a draw.

In the Armageddon, however, it was a decisive determination connected the 15th crook that dashed the hopes of the German GM.

In the Women’s event, Indian GM Divya Deshmukh came up with an awesome show to astonishment World champion Ju Wenjun successful the Armageddon aft the classical lucifer ended successful a draw. Koneru Humpy, the different Indian successful the fray, however, fell to a decision against

Bibisara Assaubayeva, who capitalised connected the opportunities successful the middlegame earlier converting her vantage with precision to instrumentality the pb with 3 afloat points for triumph successful the classical.

First circular results

Open: D. Gukesh bt Vincent Keymer (Ger), R. Praggnanandhaa bt Wesley So (USA), Alireza Firouzja (Fra) bt Magnus Carlsen (Nor).

Women: Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz) bt Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh bt Ju Wenjun (China), Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) mislaid to Zhu Jiner (China).

(The writer is successful Oslo astatine the invitation of Norway Chess.)