NEW DELHI: On Sunday, Round 6 marked the beginning of the reverse fixtures at Norway Chess this year. As a regular practice, it featured the exact same pairings as the opening round, but with opposite-coloured pieces at the Deichman Bjørvika library in Oslo. In that opening round, it proved to be a day of absolute delight for the Indian contingent; except for Koneru Humpy, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, and Divya Deshmukh all won their matches (albeit in Armageddon) to kick off their campaigns on a positive note.However, the reverse fixtures became as gloomy as possible for India, as all three heavyweights suffered damaging classical defeats, while the veteran Humpy also lost her Armageddon tie-break.Norway Chess has several aspects that make it an overall interesting proposition as a tournament, with its distinct scoring system being one. A classical victory yields a massive 3 points, whereas a classical draw awards 1 point, with the winner of the subsequent Armageddon tie-break taking an extra 0.5 points. Because the tournament places such a heavy premium on classical wins, losing in the regular game can be devastating, as the Indian players painfully realised in both the Open and Women’s sections at the end of Round 6.
Keymer outmanoeuvres Gukesh; Praggnanandhaa also beaten
For reigning world champion D Gukesh, who wielded the black pieces on Sunday, his opponent proved too hot to handle. Germany’s Vincent Keymer managed to steer a London-style opening into a highly dynamic middlegame, and the 20-year-old Indian Grandmaster paid a heavy price for being overly adventurous while defending.After Gukesh grabbed the b2-pawn with 18…Bxb2, White generated relentless pressure through central advances and active rook play. Keymer’s pieces quickly invaded the seventh rank, winning decisive material before a passed f-pawn sealed a convincing 52-move classical victory.
Following his Round 5 loss to compatriot Gukesh on Saturday, Praggnanandhaa appeared deeply intent on squeezing a positive result out of his game against American Grandmaster Wesley So, who had the white pieces. That urgency was on display on the board, as Praggnanandhaa met So’s queenside setup with an ambitious kingside expansion, launching 9…f5 and 12…g5 to seize the early initiative.After successfully opening lines against White’s king, Black secured central control and manufactured a dangerous passed d-pawn. However, after simplifying the position through a series of exchanges, So brilliantly targeted Black’s overextended d-pawn and steered the game into an endgame where his king and pieces became increasingly dominant.The critical breakthrough arrived when White’s central pawns surged forward just as Black’s piece coordination faltered. Demonstrating flawless endgame technique, So seized total control, forcing Praggnanandhaa to resign on move 63.Following these critical classical defeats, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa find themselves at the bottom of the standings with 6.5 and 6 points, respectively, while So now surges to the top of the tournament leaderboards with 11.5 points.
Divya Deshmukh relinquishes the lead
Entering Sunday’s fixture against Women’s World Chess Champion Ju Wenjun, Indian Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh was leading the tournament pack. All she needed to do was what she had done in her opening round against the same opponent: take something positive out of the game. However, it didn’t come easy. Playing with the white pieces, Divya enjoyed a commendable start to the game, handling the Closed Ruy López with poise and confidence. However, Ju Wenjun gradually wrested control of the initiative with an energetic kingside expansion of her own.The Chinese Grandmaster’s aggressive advance of the g- and h-pawns created persistent tactical threats, while highly active rook play piled on the pressure. Ju’s precise strikes, including 32…g3 and 33…Rxf2, won material and forced highly favourable simplifications.
Transitioning smoothly into a winning rook endgame, the World Champion systematically converted her extra pawn to outfox Divya in a gruelling 69-move encounter. With this defeat, Divya gave away her top spot at the points table. The 20-year-old Indian is now second with 8.5 points.
Elsewhere: Magnus Carlsen back to winning ways, Koneru Humpy’s struggles continue
It was a day of pure redemption for five-time world champion and local hero Magnus Carlsen. Having already conceded three classical losses in the tournament, Carlsen desperately needed to find his mojo.
He did exactly that by defeating Alireza Firouzja, the very player who had bested him in the opening round. Carlsen’s victory also completed a rare statistical sweep for Norway Chess this year as Round 6 ensured that every single classical game ended in a victory for White.In the women’s section, Koneru Humpy’s difficult run continued with a tie-break loss to Bibisara Assaubayeva, who now returns to the top of the points table with 9.5 points. Humpy remains at the bottom with 5.5 points. In the other match-up, Chinese Grandmaster Zhu Jiner defeated the defending Norway Chess Women’s champion, Anna Muzychuk.
