Norway Chess: Gukesh loses his last game to Carlsen; Divya's unbeaten streak ends

NEW DELHI: Today is the day of World Chess Champion Dommaraju Gukesh. As helium prepared to permission his teenage years down and crook 20, the Chennai-born Grandmaster had a uncommon accidental to observe by defeating World No.

1 and five-time satellite champion Magnus Carlsen successful Round 4 of Norway Chess 2026 connected Thursday. Since Gukesh became the youngest ever to clinch the World Championship crown astatine the property of 18, Carlsen has been 1 of the superior extracurricular voices raising questions and doubts implicit the youngster's over-the-board abilities.It is besides intolerable to hide however Carlsen mislaid his chill and ended up banging the array the past clip these 2 faced disconnected successful the aforesaid lawsuit successful 2025.

It isn't each time that the Almighty grants a accidental to observe a day portion capitalising connected the memories of specified table-slamming shenanigans.

Playing with the achromatic pieces astatine the Deichman Bjørvika room successful Oslo, Gukesh looked unchangeable successful the opening. However, arsenic the crippled progressed, Carlsen gradually took power successful the Ragozin Defence, utilizing progressive portion play to compensate for his weakened pawn structure.

The cardinal interruption 22...c5 and a consequent rook penetration connected the b-file exposed Gukesh's king, portion a passed a-pawn secured a winning endgame.Magnus, bringing his champion aforesaid to the board, converted the inaugural with emblematic precision to clinch a 42-move triumph implicit the reigning satellite chess champion.This marked the section hero's archetypal classical triumph of the tournament, allowing him to bounce backmost from his erstwhile round's classical decision against R Praggnanandhaa.

Divya Deshmukh's winning tally hits a partition

Divya Deshmukh's unbeaten streak yet came to an extremity connected Wednesday aft the 20-year-old from Nagpur, playing with the achromatic pieces, took connected defending Norway Chess Women champion Anna Muzychuk.After handling the Bishop’s Opening confidently against Muzychuk, Divya managed to make progressive attacking chances with assertive rook and queen coordination connected the kingside. For a moment, a classical triumph seemed good wrong scope for the Indian.

However, Anna responded accurately, neutralising the unit and simplifying the crippled into a balanced rook endgame. Despite repeated tactical threats from some sides, neither subordinate could unit a breakthrough, and the classical brushwood ended successful a well-fought 63-move gully aft a threefold repetition.In the Armageddon tie-break, wherever Black gets 10 minutes to White's 7 but lone needs a gully to unafraid the lucifer victory, Muzychuk seized the inaugural successful the middlegame.She successfully exploited an unfastened queenside and utilised progressive portion coordination successful the Symmetrical English. Divya fought energetically with cardinal counterplay and a unsafe passed d-pawn, but Black’s queen enactment and tactical precision gradually took over.

Following a blunder by Divya with 39.d6+, a series culminating successful 39...Qxa2 near Black with decisive worldly and positional superiority.Muzychuk converted the unit into a winning Armageddon show arsenic she present shares 2nd spot with Divya astatine 5.5 points.

Elsewhere: R Praggnanandhaa registers Armageddon win, Humpy's pugnacious tally continues

Speaking of missed opportunities, Praggnanandhaa, chasing back-to-back classical wins successful the tournament, had achromatic pieces connected Thursday and took an aboriginal inaugural to adjacent retired his crippled against Germany's No. 1, Vincent Keymer.Keymer, however, defended brilliantly to debar a classical decision against the Indian.

Nevertheless, arsenic the Armageddon tie-break began, the German defence could not clasp retired nether unit indefinitely.

Praggnanandhaa produced a cleanable show against Keymer successful the Symmetrical English, equalising comfortably earlier taking implicit the queenless middlegame with progressive portion play and beardown cardinal control.

The determination 17...Nd4+ highlighted Black’s inaugural and superior coordination, leaving Keymer nether immense unit without meaningful counterplay.

Under Armageddon conditions, White’s presumption became strategically hopeless, starring to Keymer’s resignation.Koneru Humpy's pugnacious tally continues aft the seasoned Indian Grandmaster mislaid to Zhu Jiner successful their Armageddon tie-break. Meanwhile, Bibisara defeated Ju Wenjun successful Armageddon to solidify her presumption astatine the apical of the standings with 7 points.

Alireza Firouzja faltered for the archetypal time, losing to American grandmaster Wesley So. Despite the defeat, Firouzja continues to pb the tourney with 8.5 points, whereas satellite champion Gukesh sits astatine the bottommost of the array with 3.5 points.