NEW DELHI: Ahead of the 2026 Norway Chess, currently in its 14th edition, if anyone told you that half way through, world chess champion de Gokesh and world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen The last and second place names on the points table will be the ones with countless questions about the person’s sanity. And rightfully so. Who would have thought that as the drama reached its climax in Oslo’s Deichmann Bjorvikka library and the journey to the finish, with just three rounds remaining, we would still see two of the most talked about players on the circuit completely out of contention for the crown.Monday was Round 7, where the Indians managed to pick up quite a commendable result after enduring a tumultuous day at the office in the previous round, where they all suffered losses. The most authentic performance came from Grandmaster R Praganandha. Playing in white pieces against turquoise, the Chennai-born wonderkid showed the ability to make a difference after his classic loss to Germany’s Vincent Kemmer on Sunday.
Pragnandha handled Giocco Pianissimo patiently, improving his piece placement before attacking the queenside. After easing into a dynamic middle game, he won key queenside pawns and took advantage of Black’s loose coordination. The critical phase came after 35.Ra1, when tactical complications favored White. Praganandha’s active queen, central piece, and strong knight on f4 created constant threats.By 49.Kh3, Black’s position had completely collapsed, handing Feroze—once the tournament leader in the open section—his second straight classical defeat in the tournament.
Duya Deshmukh The beat Koniro Hampi Twice in consecutive weeks at Armageddon
The all-India clash, which was the reverse fixture of Round 2 at the Norway Chess Women this year, went to an Armageddon tie-break after a classic encounter between Divya Deshmukh and veteran Konero Hampi failed to produce a winner in the longer format of the game.As is customary in Armageddon tiebreaks, Black has to prevent White from winning while gaining more time on the clock (in this case White’s seven to ten minutes). Divya Deshmukh had black pieces.
As he accepted the banco gambit and gradually seized the initiative through active peaceplay, Hampi had some opportunities to attack, but Black’s pieces quickly became connected. A queen trade at 25 worked wonders for the 20-year-old from Nagpur, as Divya turned the position into a favorable tactical endgame. 27…Rd1+ and 28…Ne1+ exposed White’s king, and 31…Nxc1 won him the game.With this tie-break win, Divya moved into second place, currently 2.5 points behind women’s section leader Babesara Asobaifa.
2nd Place: Magnus Carlsen, Gokesh both win their Armageddon tiebreaks
Magnus Carlsen has had a terrible tournament so far by his standards. However, the local hero, who is also a five-time world champion, managed to edge out Kemmer in an Armageddon tie-break. The situation turned out to be similar for 20-year-old Gokesh, as he drew his classic game before defeating Wesley Xu at Armageddon.In the women’s section, BB Sara put on another display of her fine form with a classic win over China’s Zhu Jin. Meanwhile, women’s world champion Jo Wengen lost to reigning women’s chess champion Anna Mozychuk of Norway.
