Indian chess stars enjoyed a memorable opening day at Norway Chess 2026 as reigning world champion D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa secured crucial wins, while teenage sensation Divya Deshmukh stunned women’s world champion Ju Wenjun in the Armageddon tie-break.
The opening round in Stavanger also witnessed one of the biggest upsets of the tournament as world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen suffered a rare classical defeat against Alireza Firouzja.
Gukesh survives marathon battle, Praggnanandhaa also starts with win
World champion D Gukesh had to battle for nearly five hours before eventually overcoming Vincent Keymer in a dramatic encounter.
The classical game stretched to an exhausting 144 moves before ending in a draw after a tense endgame battle. Keymer continued pressing despite holding only a slight advantage, while Gukesh appeared visibly under pressure in the closing stages and even consulted the arbiter regarding the move count.
However, the Indian youngster responded brilliantly in the Armageddon tie-break.
Gukesh quickly seized control and produced a decisive attacking display, with 15.Bh6 proving to be the key move that completely shifted momentum in his favour. The victory handed the Indian star 1.5 points, while Keymer had to settle for one point.
Meanwhile, compatriot R Praggnanandhaa also opened his campaign strongly after defeating Wesley So in Armageddon.
The classical game between Praggnanandhaa and So remained balanced throughout and ended in a draw. However, the Indian grandmaster produced an aggressive attacking performance in the tie-break to secure the extra half-point.
Both Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa now sit jointly second in the Open standings after the first round.
Divya Deshmukh shocks world champion as Carlsen suffers upset
The women’s section also saw Indian players make headlines. Young Indian star Divya Deshmukh held reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun to a draw in the classical game before stunning her in the Armageddon tie-break to secure a memorable victory.
However, India's No. 1 Koneru Humpy suffered defeat against Bibisara Assaubayeva, who secured an impressive classical win to move to the top of the women’s standings.
Elsewhere, defending champion Anna Muzychuk drew her classical game against Zhu Jiner before losing in Armageddon.
The biggest shock of the day came in the Open category, where home favourite Magnus Carlsen lost to Alireza Firouzja.
Carlsen looked in control for most parts of the game, but severe time trouble led to a costly blunder that allowed Firouzja to capitalise and claim all three points.
Remarkably, Firouzja achieved the win despite playing with his injured ankle strapped in a protective “moon shoe” following an injury sustained during the Superbet Chess Classic Romania.
After the opening round, Firouzja leads the Open standings with three points, while Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa are placed jointly second with 1.5 points each.
In the women’s section, Assaubayeva leads the standings, while Divya Deshmukh and Zhu Jiner occupy the next spots.