New Delhi: On her debut at Norway Chess on Monday, Divya Deshmukh made it clear that she is eager to leave her mark. In between drawing World Women’s Chess Champion Jo Wengen in her classic game and then defeating her in Armageddon, the 20-year-old from Nagpur became the first player to enter the confessional booth, one of the event’s most exciting features.A soundproof room adjacent to the playing hall allows players to step away from the board to share candid views live on camera. However, Divya initially doubted its legitimacy. “I don’t know if I have to do it sitting or standing, but my game is very interesting. I really hope she can’t hear me,” he whispered during his Round 1 classical game.He also said, “I noticed that there are some people who are sleeping in the first row. But honestly, I don’t blame them. I would have done the same.”As the game intensified, his thoughts turned to the snacks on the side of the table. “I’m actually a little hungry, and there’s a packet of dried mangoes on the table, but I’m not sure if we can eat it, because it might be for promotional reasons. I want to find it, but I don’t know how! Right now, I’m just waiting for him to step up,” shared the Indian grandmaster.On the board, the game follows a Reti/Catalan structure. Playing with the black pieces, Divya matched the world champion’s moves with confident center play and spirited blocking activity. Joe launched aggressive attacks on the kingside, but Divya calmly defended, eventually seizing the initiative in a tactical midgame. By correctly coordinating his pieces, he exposed White’s king to emerge with a more comfortable and functional position. Repeating three times led to a 52-move draw in their classics.An Armageddon tiebreak followed to guarantee a winner. In this format, White gets more time (10 minutes) but must win the game, while Black gets less time (seven minutes) but only needs a draw to win the match. The format creates intense psychological pressure, encourages aggressive play and leads to decisive results in high-stakes tournaments. Divya handled the pressure well to take the extra points.
Gokesh And Parganananda Overcome at Armageddon
It was also a good day for India’s open category players, with both D Gokesh and R Praganandha dominating their Armageddon matches.There was plenty of late drama in Gokesh’s classic match against Vincent Kemmer. In a position where Kaymer was pressing and Gokesh was defending a tight endgame, Gokesh falsely claimed a 50-move draw. The error gave Kaymer two extra minutes on the clock under tournament rules.
Gokesh vs. Vincent Kemmer (Photo by Michal Walusza/Norway Chess)
However, Kemer could not find a way to victory in the remaining time. Gokesh then correctly claimed another 50 move, and the game ended in a draw. Gokesh carried the momentum to a tiebreak, sealing the match with a stunning Armageddon win.Praganandha also enjoyed a solid start to his campaign. Playing with White in round one, he earned a consistent draw in the classical game before completely outplaying American grandmaster Wesley Sue in an Armageddon tiebreak to earn 1.5 points.
Elsewhere: Conero Humpi Faults; Carlson is surprised by the injured Firuza
On the women’s side, Babesara Isaubaifa scored the first classical win of the tournament when India’s Konero Hampi, playing with the white pieces, fought back to play, only to make a costly mistake (45. Kf3) at the end.
Koneru Humpy (Photo by Michal Walusza/Norway Chess)
Meanwhile, Zoe Jenner won her match at Armageddon against defending champion Anna Muzyczak in her first appearance at the Norwegian Chess Women.In one of the biggest opening day upsets, local heroes and world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen Alireza lost his classic game to Feroza. Making the feat even more remarkable was the fact that Feroze was playing with an injured leg, registering his first classic victory against the five-time world champion.After the loss, Karlsson admitted, “He gave me a lot of tests and in the end I failed… He doesn’t necessarily always find the best move, but he put a lot of pressure on me and that’s what you want to do!”Also read: Norway Chess 2026, Gokesh’s Test, Konero Hampi’s Return – Why You Should Be Excited?
