NEW DELHI: Today marks the birthday of World Chess Champion Dommaraju Gukesh. As he got ready to move beyond his teenage years and step into 20, the Chennai-born Grandmaster had an unusual chance to celebrate by overcoming World No. 1 and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in Round 4 of Norway Chess 2026 on Thursday. Ever since Gukesh became the youngest player to secure the World Championship title at the age of 18, Carlsen has remained among the leading external voices questioning and
casting doubt on the youngster's over-the-board skills. It is equally impossible to ignore how Carlsen lost his composure and ended up striking the table the previous time these two competed in the same event in 2025. It is not every day that fate offers an opportunity to celebrate a birthday while drawing upon the memories of such table-slamming antics.
Playing with the white pieces at the Deichman Bjørvika library in Oslo, Gukesh appeared steady in the opening. Yet, as the contest moved forward, Carlsen slowly seized control in the Ragozin Defence, employing active piece play to offset his weakened pawn structure.
The central pawn thrust 22...c5 and a later rook penetration on the b-file exposed Gukesh's king, while a passed apawn ensured a winning endgame. Magnus, bringing peak form to the board, converted the advantage with trademark accuracy to secure a 42-move win over the reigning world chess champion. This marked the hometown hero's first classical victory of the tournament, enabling him to recover from his previous round's classical loss against R Praggnanandhaa.
Divya Deshmukh's unbeaten stretch comes to a halt Divya Deshmukh's unbeaten streak eventually ended on Wednesday after the 20-year-old from Nagpur, playing with the white pieces, faced defending Norway Chess Women champion Anna Muzychuk. After handling the Bishop’s Opening confidently against Muzychuk, Divya succeeded in generating active attacking opportunities with aggressive rook and queen coordination on the kingside. For a brief period, a classical win appeared
well within sight for the Indian.
However, Anna reacted precisely, neutralising the pressure and simplifying the game into an equal rook
endgame. Despite continuous tactical threats from both players, neither side could force a breakthrough, and the classical encounter finished in a hard-fought 63-move draw after a threefold repetition.
In the Armageddon tie-break, where Black receives 10 minutes to White's 7 but only requires a draw to secure the match victory, Muzychuk grabbed the initiative in the middlegame. She effectively exploited an open queenside and used active piece coordination in the Symmetrical English. Divya battled energetically with central counterplay and a dangerous passed d-pawn, but Black’s queen activity and tactical sharpness gradually took control.
and positional dominance.
Muzychuk transformed the pressure into a victorious Armageddon display and now shares second place with Divya on 5.5 points. Elsewhere: R Praggnanandhaa claims Armageddon victory, Humpy's difficult spell continues Speaking of missed chances, Praggnanandhaa, pursuing consecutive classical victories in the tournament, had
the black pieces on Thursday and seized an early initiative to finish off his game against Germany's No. 1, Vincent Keymer.
Keymer, however, defended superbly to escape a classical defeat against the Indian. Still, once the Armageddon tie-break started, the German resistance could not survive under pressure forever. Praggnanandhaa delivered a polished performance against Keymer in the Symmetrical English, equalising smoothly before dominating the queenless middlegame through active piece play and firm central control.
The move 17...Nd4+ underlined Black’s initiative and stronger coordination, leaving Keymer under enormous pressure without effective counterplay. Under Armageddon conditions, White’s position became strategically untenable, resulting in Keymer’s resignation. Koneru Humpy's difficult run continued after the experienced Indian Grandmaster lost to Zhu Jiner in their Armageddon tie-break. Meanwhile, Bibisara defeated Ju Wenjun in Armageddon to strengthen her position at the top of the standings with 7 points.
Alireza Firouzja stumbled for the first time, losing to American grandmaster Wesley So. Despite the setback, Firouzja continues to lead the tournament with 8.5 points, while world champion Gukesh remains at the bottom of the table with 3.5 points.