D Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen, and Divya Deshmukh (Photo by Michal Walusza for Norway Chess)
Divya Deshmukh’s winning run comes to an end
Elsewhere: R Praggnanandhaa secures Armageddon victory, Humpy’s difficult stretch persists
NEW DELHI: World Chess Champion Dommaraju Gukesh marked his 20th birthday with a chance to beat World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 4 of Norway Chess 2026. Since claiming the title at 18, Gukesh has faced questions from Carlsen about his skills. Their previous meeting in 2025 ended with Carlsen losing composure.
With white pieces at the Deichman Bjørvika library in Oslo, Gukesh started steadily in the Ragozin Defence. Carlsen gained control through active play despite a weakened pawn structure. The break 22…c5 and a rook invasion on the b-file exposed Gukesh’s king, and a passed a-pawn decided the endgame. Carlsen won in 42 moves for his first classical victory, recovering from an earlier loss to R Praggnanandhaa.
Divya Deshmukh’s unbeaten run ended on Wednesday. The 20-year-old from Nagpur, with white, faced Anna Muzychuk in the Bishop’s Opening. She built attacking chances on the kingside, but Muzychuk equalised into a balanced rook endgame. The classical game drew after 63 moves. In Armageddon, Muzychuk took the queenside initiative in the Symmetrical English. A blunder by Divya on move 39 allowed Muzychuk to win, tying them at 5.5 points.
Praggnanandhaa gained an early edge with black against Vincent Keymer but settled for Armageddon. He dominated the queenless middlegame with 17…Nd4+, forcing resignation. Koneru Humpy lost her Armageddon to Zhu Jiner, while Bibisara beat Ju Wenjun to lead with 7 points. Alireza Firouzja lost to Wesley So but leads with 8.5; Gukesh remains last with 3.5.
