Gukesh's Birthday Battle with Carlsen
New Delhi: Today marks the 20th birthday of World Chess Champion Dommaraju Gukesh. The Chennai-born Grandmaster had a rare opportunity to celebrate by facing World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 4 of Norway Chess 2026 on Thursday. Since becoming the youngest world champion at 18, Gukesh has faced skepticism from Carlsen, who has questioned his over-the-board abilities. Their previous encounter in 2025 saw Carlsen lose his cool and bang the table.
Playing with white pieces at the Deichman Bjørvika library in Oslo, Gukesh appeared stable in the opening. However, Carlsen gradually gained control in the Ragozin Defense, using active piece play to compensate for weakened pawns. The central break 22...c5 and a rook invasion on the b-file exposed Gukesh's king, while a passed a-pawn secured a winning endgame. Carlsen converted the initiative with precision, winning in 42 moves. This was his first classical win of the tournament, bouncing back from a defeat to R Praggnanandhaa in the previous round.
Divya Deshmukh's Unbeaten Run Ends
Divya Deshmukh's unbeaten streak ended on Wednesday. The 20-year-old from Nagpur, playing white against defending champion Anna Muzychuk, handled the Bishop's Opening confidently and created attacking chances with rook and queen coordination on the kingside. However, Muzychuk responded accurately, neutralizing the pressure and simplifying into a balanced rook endgame. The classical game ended in a 63-move draw after threefold repetition.
In the Armageddon tie-break, Muzychuk seized the initiative in the middlegame, exploiting an open queenside in the Symmetrical English. Divya fought back with central counterplay and a dangerous passed d-pawn, but Black's queen activity and tactical precision prevailed. A blunder with 39.d6+ allowed 39...Qxa2, giving Black decisive material advantage. Muzychuk converted to share second place with Divya at 5.5 points.
Praggnanandhaa's Armageddon Win
R Praggnanandhaa, chasing back-to-back classical wins, played black against Vincent Keymer. He took an early initiative, but Keymer defended brilliantly to force an Armageddon tie-break. In the Armageddon, Praggnanandhaa produced a clean performance in the Symmetrical English, equalizing comfortably before taking over the queenless middlegame with active piece play. The move 17...Nd4+ highlighted Black's initiative, leaving Keymer under pressure. White's position became strategically hopeless, leading to Keymer's resignation.
Other Results
Koneru Humpy's tough run continued after losing to Zhu Jiner in Armageddon. Bibisara defeated Ju Wenjun in Armageddon to take the lead with 7 points. Alireza Firouzja lost to Wesley So but still leads the tournament with 8.5 points, while Gukesh is at the bottom with 3.5 points.
