Norway Chess continued to deliver intense contests in its second round as French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja emerged as the early leader after securing his second consecutive classical victory in Oslo.
Firouzja registered the only decisive result in the open section, defeating Indian teenager R Praggnanandhaa in a strategic encounter. The French player gradually built an advantage from the middlegame before converting it into a convincing win through composed endgame play.
The victory moved Firouzja clear at the top of the standings after two rounds, strengthening his position in one of the world’s premier over-the-board chess tournaments.
Meanwhile, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen was pushed hard by Germany’s Vincent Keymer before prevailing in Armageddon. Their classical game ended in a draw after a closely fought contest in which Carlsen held a slight endgame edge for long periods. Keymer defended resiliently to force the tiebreak, but Carlsen secured the bonus point in Armageddon.
In another open-section clash, reigning world champion D Gukesh and American grandmaster Wesley So played out a tense classical draw following a lengthy strategic battle. So later won the Armageddon game to claim the additional points.
In the women’s section, all three classical games ended in draws before being decided in Armageddon.
Kazakh player Bibisara Assaubayeva maintained her lead in the standings after defeating China’s Zhu Jiner in the tiebreak. After a complex classical encounter, Assaubayeva held her composure in the faster format to continue her unbeaten run in the tournament.
The round also featured an all-Indian contest between Divya Deshmukh and veteran grandmaster Koneru Humpy. Following a balanced classical draw, Divya emerged victorious in Armageddon to secure valuable bonus points.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian grandmaster Anna Muzychuk defeated reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun in Armageddon after another tightly contested classical game.
With two rounds completed, Firouzja and Assaubayeva remain the players to beat as Norway Chess 2026 continues to produce high-level battles and dramatic finishes across both sections.
(With IANS inputs)
