New Delhi: Like any other elite chess tournament, Norwegian chess pitted Indian grandmaster Divya Deshmukh against compatriot Konero Hampi, the country’s top-ranked female player, in an all-Indian clash at Oslo’s Deichmann Björvik Library on Tuesday. It is standard practice to draw two players from the same country early in the tournament to avoid late-tournament disputes and accusations of collusion. Round 2 in the women’s section was the result of this scheduling template.This year was to be a special one for Norway Chess Hampi, as she returns to the chess board at the elite tournament after dropping women’s candidates due to uncertainty amid the Middle East conflict. However, the romance of him entering tournaments and immediately bulldozing opponents is rarely seen clearly in reality. Unlike on Monday, where she lost her opening game against reigning tournament leader Babesara Isaubaifa in the classics, she managed to hold off Divya to open her tally, only to lose in the Armageddon decider. In the classic game, Divya, playing with the white pieces, launched an aggressive kingside attack with g4–h4, forcing Conero Hampi into a passive defense. With both players casting in opposite directions, the game became highly tactical, but Divya retained the initiative with active blocking and night play. The key moment is 30.Nxg6! was, taking advantage of Blake’s pace coordination problems. However, after Divya played 32.Rxf7+, the two players agreed to a draw, forcing the match to Armageddon.In the Armageddon decider, Black finds seven minutes to White’s 10 and needs only a draw to ensure victory in the match. Conero Hampi defended the Berlin structure strongly, but Divya Deshmukh gradually overcame it in the endgame with superior knight activity and queenside expansion. A pawn and dominance near the key squares gave White lasting pressure, while Black’s pieces were completely tied up. After 38…Na8, Hampi’s position was strategically lost, leading to her resignation and a second successive Armageddon win for the Indian teenager on her debut at the Norway Chess Women’s tournament.
Parganananda loses in the classics, Gokesh At Armageddon
The win, however, was far from over for both the Indians in the open section. The worst conditions of the day haunted Ramesh Babu Parganandha, who fell victim to the one-footed, Herculean Alireza Feroza. After defeating world no Magnus Carlsen In the opening round, Feroza was unstoppable; He dominated. As a result, he now leads the open section with 6/6 points.
Alireza Ferozeja and Ramesh Babu Parganananda (Photo by Michael Waloza/Norwegian Chess)
The French grandmaster slowly outplayed Praganandha in a quick queen’s gambit decline, turning structural pressure into a superior rook endgame. With queens out in the middle game, Alireza’s active rooks and improved pawn composition dominated the board, as Prague’s kingside weaknesses became easy targets. The decisive step came after 44.Nxe4, when White took central control and built dangerous passing pawns. The Indian resigned after 60.Rxc4, leaving Prague at the bottom of the table.De Gokesh also left the playing hall with just one point on Tuesday after drawing a classical game against US grandmaster Wesley Sue and losing in the Armageddon decider. In the Armageddon clash, Sue punished Gokesh’s ambitious play with precise tactical execution. Gokesh’s kingly structure 21.Nf6+! collapsed after , and White’s active queen and rook attack led to a decisive attack. By 27.Rc3, Black is overwhelmed by threats and critical material against the king, who promptly resigns.
2nd place: Magnus Carlsen wins the tiebreak.
Magnus Carlsen won Armageddon against Germany’s Vincent Kemmer after a wild classic battle to score his first 1.5 points of the tournament.
Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Kemmer (Photo by Michal Walusza/Norway Chess)
Aside from the final outcome of the game, what stood out at the end of the day was Karlsson’s blunt comment explaining the wild nature of the contest.“I think like a cow that’s ashamed of its body, this game is just an embarrassment! I think every move we’re making is some kind of mistake,” he admitted in one of his confessional booth appearances. In other matches on the women’s side, Anna Muzyczak won her armageddon against world women’s champion Jo Wenjin, while Babesara Isao Baifa also beat China’s Zhu Jin in the decider to lead the pack with 4.5/6 points.Also read: How Argentina’s Faustino Oro Became the ‘Messi of Chess’ at the Age of 12
