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New Delhi: On Sunday, Round 6 marked the beginning of the reverse fixture in Norwegian chess this year. As a regular exercise, it features exactly the same pair as in the opening round, but with pieces of the opposite color in Oslo’s Deichmann Bjervika Library. In this opening round, it turned out to be a day of complete joy for the Indian contingent. Besides Konero Hampi, D Gokesh, R Praganandha, and Divya Deshmukh started their campaigns on a positive note by winning their matches (in Armageddon itself).However, the reverse fixture turned out to be as gloomy as possible for India, as all three heavyweights suffered classic defeats, while veteran Hampi also lost their Armageddon tiebreak.Norway Chess has several aspects that make it an interesting proposition as a tournament overall, its distinct scoring system being one. A classical victory earns a massive 3 points, while a classical draw earns 1 point, with the winner of an Armageddon tie-break receiving an additional 0.5 points. Since the tournament places such a heavy premium on classic wins, losing in regular play can be devastating, as the Indian players painfully realized at the end of Round 6 in both the Open and Women’s sections.
Kemer overtook Gokesh. Praganandha was also beaten.
For reigning world champion De Gokesh, who showed up in black on Sunday, his opponent proved too hot to handle. Germany’s Vincent Kemmer was able to make a London-style debut in a very dynamic middle game, and the 20-year-old Indian grandmaster paid a heavy price for being too brave on defense.After Gokesh captured the b2-pawn with 18…Bxb2, White continued to build pressure through central advances and active stopping play. Camer’s pieces quickly attacked the seventh rank, winning decisive material before a passed f-pawn secured a classic 52-move victory.
After losing to compatriot Gokesh in Round 5 on Saturday, Praganandha appeared intent on squeezing a positive result from his game against American grandmaster Wesley Sue, who had the white pieces. This urgency was being shown on the board, when Praganandha met a queenside setup of a hundred with an ambitious expansion of the kingside, opening 9…f5. and 12…g5 to seize the early initiative.After White successfully opens lines against the king, Black gains central control and develops a dangerous passed d-pawn. However, after making the position easier through a series of exchanges, Su brilliantly hit Black’s overextended d-pawn and took the game to an endgame where his king and pieces quickly prevailed.The main breakthrough came when White’s central pawns moved forward just as Black’s piece coordination broke down. Displaying impeccable endgame technique, he took complete control, forcing Pragnandha to resign on a move of 63.After these crucial classic defeats, Gokesh and Praganandha are at the bottom of the standings with 6.5 and 6 points respectively, while they now top the tournament leaderboard with 11.5 points.
Divya Deshmukh left the leadership.
Indian Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh was leading the tournament pack going into Sunday’s match against women’s world chess champion Jo Venjen. He just needed to do what he did against the same opponent in his opening round: take something positive out of the game. However, it did not come easy. Playing with the white pieces, Divya enjoyed a commendable start to the game, handling the closed Ruy Lopez with ease and confidence. However, Joe Wengen gradually regained control of the initiative with a spirited kingside extension of his own.The aggressive advance of the Chinese grandmaster’s g- and h-pawns created constant tactical threats, while the highly active blocking game piled on the pressure. Ju’s accurate attacks, including 32…g3 and 33…Rxf2, won material and forced extremely favorable simplifications.
Transitioning smoothly into a winning rook endgame, the world champion systematically turned his extra pawn into an outfox davia in a tight 69-move contest. With this defeat, Divya took away her top spot on the points table. The 20-year-old Indian is now second with 8.5 points.
Elsewhere: Magnus Carlsen Back to winning ways, Konero Hampi’s struggle continues.
It was a day of pure redemption for five-time world champion and local hero Magnus Carlsen. After conceding three classic losses already in the tournament, Carlsen desperately needed to find his mojo.
He did just that, defeating Alireza Feroza, the same player who had bested him in the opening round. Carlsen’s win also completed a rare statistical sweep for Norwegian chess this year as Round 6 ensured that every single classical game ended in a white victory.In the women’s section, Konero Hampi’s tough run continued with a tie-break loss to B Besara Asaobaifa, who now top the points table with 9.5 points. Hampi is at the bottom with 5.5 points. In the second match, Chinese Grandmaster Zhou Jin defeated the defending Norwegian women’s chess champion Anna Mozychak.
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