India’s D Gukesh and Divya Deshmukh suffered defeats in Round 6 of Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women respectively, as the battle for the title intensified in Oslo on Sunday.
In the open section, reigning world champion Gukesh went down to Germany’s Vincent Keymer, who maintained the initiative for much of the game and capitalised on his chances to secure a valuable win. The defeat dealt a setback to Gukesh’s campaign as the tournament entered its decisive phase.
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen registered a crucial victory over tournament leader Alireza Firouzja. Playing with the white pieces, the Norwegian gradually built pressure before converting his advantage in the latter stages to hand Firouzja his first classical defeat of the tournament. Meanwhile, American Grandmaster Wesley So defeated R Praggnanandhaa in a lengthy encounter, making the most of his opportunities in the endgame to claim full points and move to the top of the standings.
With six rounds completed, Wesley So leads the standings, while Firouzja remains within striking distance as the race for the title remains wide open.
In the women’s section, reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun handed India’s Divya Deshmukh a defeat in the only classical result of the day. Ju steadily improved her position before converting her advantage in the endgame to secure an important victory.
The other two matches were decided in Armageddon after drawn classical games. Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva overcame India’s Koneru Humpy in the tiebreak to reclaim sole possession of the lead, while China’s Zhu Jiner defeated Anna Muzychuk in Armageddon to earn the additional points.
After Round 6, Assaubayeva leads the Norway Chess Women standings with 9.5 points. Divya is second with 8.5 points, while Ju Wenjun and Anna Muzychuk are tied for third on eight points each.
