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GM Alireza Firouzja produced the standout result of the opening day of Norway Chess 2026, defeating world number one GM Magnus Carlsen in classical chess to seize the early lead in the elite tournament in Oslo on Monday.
The French grandmaster, who arrived in Norway after battling an ankle injury suffered during the Super Chess Classic in Bucharest, overcame the hometown favourite in a tense and complex encounter. Carlsen appeared in control for long stretches, but severe time pressure proved costly as Firouzja gradually increased the pressure and capitalised on crucial inaccuracies. According to Chess.com, Carlsen later admitted he had "severely underestimated" Firouzja's attacking setup and acknowledged that the 22-year-old had consistently posed difficult problems throughout the game. Firouzja converted his advantage with precision to claim the only classical victory in the Open section and earn three points under the tournament's unique scoring system. The opening round also featured a dramatic escape by World Champion GM Gukesh Dommaraju against Germany's GM Vincent Keymer. Keymer outplayed Gukesh in the endgame and appeared on course for victory, but the Indian teenager displayed remarkable defensive resilience to hold the game after 144 moves. Gukesh then bounced back to win the Armageddon tiebreak and secure 1.5 points. Indian star GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu also prevailed in Armageddon after drawing his classical game against GM Wesley So. Praggnanandhaa produced an energetic attacking display in the decider to collect the additional half-point. In the Women's event, GM Bibisara Assaubayeva emerged as the sole classical winner after defeating India's GM Koneru Humpy in a rollercoaster encounter. The Kazakh player handled the complications confidently and converted her advantage accurately to move to the top of the standings with three points. GM Zhu Jiner marked her tournament debut with an Armageddon win over defending champion GM Anna Muzychuk after their classical game ended in a draw. India's GM Divya Deshmukh also enjoyed a memorable start, defeating Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun in Armageddon after escaping from a difficult position in the classical phase. After 13 years in Stavanger, Norway Chess has shifted to Oslo, with the Deichman Bjrvika public library hosting this year's edition. The tournament retains its distinctive format, with classical wins worth three points and drawn games proceeding to Armageddon tiebreaks. (ANI)
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