Daijiworld Media Network – Oslo

Oslo, May 27: Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja emerged as the sole classical winner in round two of Norway Chess 2026 after defeating Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, extending his lead in the tournament standings.

With the victory, Firouzja moved to a perfect 6/6 score and opened up a 3.5-point lead over his nearest rivals in the prestigious event.

The French-Iranian star capitalised on Praggnanandhaa’s mistakes in the endgame after the Indian youngster appeared to hold promising chances earlier in the contest.

Speaking after the match, Firouzja dismissed suggestions that opening preparation played a major role in the victory and described it as a “decent game.”

Meanwhile, former world champion Magnus Carlsen defeated Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the armageddon tiebreak after their chaotic classical encounter ended without a decisive result.

Carlsen, however, was left disappointed after missing winning opportunities during the classical phase of the game.

In another closely fought encounter, reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju forced American Grandmaster Wesley So into sacrificing his queen during the classical game, but failed to convert the advantage and eventually lost in armageddon.

Following round two, Firouzja remains firmly in the lead, while Wesley So and Gukesh trail behind in the standings.

In the women’s section, Grandmaster Bibisara Assaubayeva maintained her lead after drawing a dramatic classical game against Zhu Jiner before winning the armageddon tiebreak.

Indian Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh secured an armageddon victory over Koneru Humpy to stay 1.5 points behind the leader.

Anna Muzychuk also bounced back from her previous defeat by overcoming Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun in armageddon.

Round three of Norway Chess 2026 is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.