Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa battle for supremacy in Carlsen’s backyard

The rather quiet confines of Deichman Bjorvika, a public library here, will transform into a battlefield for the next two weeks as some of the best in the business will fight for top honours in Norway Chess from Monday.

The enigmatic Magnus Carlsen, an icon of world chess and Norwegian sport, will be the one to beat in the six-player Open event which also includes reigning World champion D. Gukesh and fellow Indian R. Praggnanandhaa.

The women’s section features World title holder Ju Wenjun of China, India’s Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh among others.

It was at this tournament, albeit at a different venue (Stavanger), that Carlsen slammed the table in frustration after losing to Gukesh, his first defeat to the Indian in the Classical format.

The two will be at it again in the double round-robin event, and their duels promise to be intense.

Gukesh and Carlsen apart, Praggnanandhaa, Vincent Keymer (Germany), Wesley So (USA) and Alireza Firouzja (France) give the Open line-up an elite look.

In the women’s class, which carries the same prize money as the Open category, Ju will have to contend with fellow Chinese Zhu Jiner, Humpy, Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan and Divya for supremacy.

According to tournament rules, should a classical game end in a draw, the players will go head-to-head in an Armageddon encounter to determine the winner.

Kjell Madland, the tournament director, is expecting high-quality matches in the coming days.

(The writer is in Oslo at the invitation of Norway Chess).