Norway Chess 2026: Alireza scores 2 classical wins in a row, Divya stuns Humpy
Alireza Firouzja scored his 2nd classical win in a row to gain a 3.5-point lead over the field. In the 2nd round of Norway Chess 2026, he defeated R Praggnanandhaa in the classical game. Apart from this game, all other games ended in a draw in classical time control, and the results came in an Armageddon game. Magnus Carlsen defeated Vincent Keymer, and the World Champion D Gukesh suffered a loss against Wesley So. In the Women's section, Bibisara maintained her lead after defeating Zhu Jiner in Armageddon, while Divya scored her 2nd consecutive Armageddon win. The 3rd round will start on 27th May at 5:30CEST/8:30 PM IST. Photo: Michal Walusza / Norway Chess
Back-to-back Victories
In the 1st round of Norway Chess 2026, Alireza defeated World No.1, Magnus Carlsen, in a wild classical game. He didn't stop there, scoring another classical win against R Praggnanandhaa. After withdrawing from the Super Chess Classic Romania, there were some questions raised about Alireza, but he replied to all of them with moves.
Check out the games
Now we bring you the action of this round!
Alireza Firouzja vs. R Praggnanandhaa (3-0)
This was the 12th classical clash between Alireza and Praggnanandhaa, 9 times the game ended in a draw, while both won a game once. Alireza converted the advantage beautifully to win this game.
Magnus Carlsen vs. Vincent Keymer (1.5-1.0)
The first classical game was a wild ride between Magnus and Vincent. At some moments, Vincent had a decent position, but then Magnus missed some great chances to win the game. Vincent showed resilience and drew the game.
In the Armageddon, Magnus outplayed Vicent to seal the victory
Wesley So vs D Gukesh (1.5-1.0)
It was a crazy battle between Wesley and Gukesh on move no.33 Wesley gave up his queen for 2 pieces. In the game, Gukesh had some great chances to convert the advantage, but under time pressure, he failed to do so.
Replay the Games of Round 2
Norway Chess Women
In the Women's section, Bibisara Assaubayeva maintained her lead after defeating Zhu Jiner in an Armageddon game. Divya Deshmukh defeated Koneru Humpy with the white pieces. And currently she is in 2nd place with 3 points.
Divya Deshmukh vs Koneru Humpy (1.5-1.0)
The classical game was a solid draw, but in the Armageddon, Divya played solid chess with white pieces to win the match.
Zhu Jiner vs Bibisara Assaubayeva (1.0-1.5)
Bibisara had her chances in the Classical game, as it was a complex battle with both sides having some practical chances. In the Armageddon game, Bibisara played an aggressive game to outplay Jiner.
Replay the Games of Round 2
Pairings
Pairings | Graphic: Norway Chess
Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, Norway Chess
Video Gallery: Here
Lineup
Men: Magnus Carlsen, Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, Alireza Firouzja, R Praggnanandhaa, and D Gukesh
Women: Zhu Jiner, Koneru Humpy, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Ju Wenjun, Anna Muzychuk, and Divya Deshmukh
Venue: Deichman Bjørvika, Oslo!
Schedule
Format
6 players will take part in the Tournament. The Tournament is a double-round event with Armageddon in case of a tie. The Tournament consists of 10 rounds. Berger tables will be used for the pairings. Drawing of lots will be done at the Technical Meeting. The default time is 15 minutes.
Time Control
Each player will have 120 minutes on the clock with an increment of 10 seconds starting from move 41. The time control for the Armageddon game: white has 10 minutes, and black has 7 minutes with an increment for both players of 1 second per move, starting from move 41.
Draw by Mutual Agreement
Players are not allowed to agree to a draw until at least 30 moves have been made by each player. This rule does not apply to Armageddon games.
Armageddon
If the classical game is drawn, an Armageddon game will be played. It shall start within 20 minutes of the conclusion of the classical game. The player with White pieces will continue with White in Armageddon. If the Armageddon game is drawn, black will win.
Points
Players will get the following points per round:
Win in the classical game: 3 points
Loss in the classical game: 0 points
Draw in the classical game & win Armageddon: 1½ points
Draw in the classical game & loss Armageddon: 1 point
Prize money
Links
Norway Chess: Official site, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube