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Moments of brilliance and below-par efforts — it has been the communicative of the Indian players’ performances successful the ongoing Norway Chess 2026 astatine Deichman Bjorvika here.
On Monday, Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa inflicted a 2nd consecutive decision connected Alireza Firouzja successful the classical crippled successful the seventh round, coming up with an awesome show. Playing with achromatic pieces, helium worked his mode to an advantageous presumption and with the Frenchman nether clip pressure, couldn’t withstand the onslaught and succumbed successful 51 moves to manus his hostile 3 points.
D. Gukesh successful enactment against Wesley So astatine the Norway Chess Championship. Photo: Special Arrangement
So (12.5 points) continues to apical the leaderboard contempt the nonaccomplishment with the second-placed Firouzja 2.5 points behind.
World champion D. Gukesh, the different Indian successful the fray, pulled disconnected a triumph successful the Armageddon against Wesley So aft missing an accidental to people successful the classical.
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer played retired a hard-fought classical gully successful which neither subordinate could interruption through. Carlsen aboriginal prevailed successful the Armageddon crippled to unafraid the other points and stay wrong striking region of the leaders.
R. Praggnanandhaa inflicted a 2nd consecutive decision connected Alireza Firouzja astatine the Norway Chess championship. Photo: Special Arrangement
The women’s conception saw Bibisara Assaubayeva widen her pb astatine the apical to 2.5 points with a triumph successful circular seven. Facing Zhu Jiner with achromatic pieces, Assaubayeva took power aft a hard middlegame and converted her vantage with confidence. The 3 points springiness the Kazakh grandmaster a important boost arsenic the tourney enters its last stretch.
Divya Deshmukh’s bully tally continued arsenic she outwitted Koneru Humpy successful the tie-break aft missing a accidental to triumph the classical match. In the Armageddon, the young Indian GM managed to score, leaving her experienced hostile languishing astatine the bottommost of the table.
The results (seventh round)
Open: R. Praggnanandhaa (9) bt Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 10), Vincent Keymer (Ger, 9) mislaid to Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 9) successful Armageddon, D. Gukesh (8) bt Wesley So (USA, 12.5) successful Armageddon.
Women: Divya Deshmukh (10) bt Koneru Humpy (6.5) successful Armageddon, Ju Wenjun (Chn, 9) mislaid to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 9.5) successful Armageddon, Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz, 12.5) bt Zhu Jiner (Chn, 7).
(The writer is successful Oslo astatine the invitation of Norway Chess.)
