New Delhi: India’s campaign at the ongoing Norway Chess 2026 faced a mixed day in Oslo on Thursday as reigning world champion D Gukesh suffered a classical defeat against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, while Divya Deshmukh saw her unbeaten streak come to an end in the women’s section.
Playing with the white pieces, Gukesh began steadily against Carlsen in Round 4 but gradually came under pressure in the middlegame. The Norwegian star used active piece play and strong control on the queenside to build an advantage before converting the game in 42 moves.
The result marked Carlsen’s first classical victory of the tournament and came shortly after his earlier loss to fellow Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, according to chess.com.
India, however, still had reason to celebrate as Praggnanandhaa continued his solid form by defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the Armageddon tie-break. Their classical game ended level before the Indian Grandmaster produced a dominant display in the decider.
In the women’s event, Divya Deshmukh battled defending champion Anna Muzychuk in a tense contest. Divya created attacking opportunities during the classical game, but Muzychuk defended accurately as the encounter ended in a draw after 63 moves.
The Ukrainian grandmaster later prevailed in the Armageddon tie-break after capitalising on tactical mistakes in the endgame. The result ended Divya’s impressive unbeaten run in the competition.
Meanwhile, veteran Indian player Koneru Humpy endured another difficult outing after losing her Armageddon game against Zhu Jiner.
Elsewhere in the open section, Wesley So handed tournament leader Alireza Firouzja his first defeat of the event. Despite the loss, Firouzja continues to lead the standings.
With several rounds still remaining, the Indian contingent will look to bounce back strongly as the prestigious tournament heads into a crucial phase.
