Norway Chess 2026 R4: Carlsen Back In Business After Beating Gukesh

Carlsen Back In Business After Beating Gukesh; Assaubayeva Defeats Ju Wenjun

World number-one GM Magnus Carlsen beat World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in the only classical win of round four of Norway Chess 2026, exorcising the ghost of their infamous table-slam game from the 2025 event. GM Alireza Firouzja continues to lead the tournament despite losing to GM Wesley So in armageddon, while GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is in sole second place after beating GM Vincent Keymer in armageddon. It could have been better for the Indian star, since he was winning toward the end of their classical encounter.

All three classical games in round four of Norway Chess Women 2026 ended in draws, though they were far from sterile. GM Bibisara Assaubayeva leads with seven points after beating Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun in armageddon. A point and a half behind are the two other players who won armageddon encounters, GMs Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner, as well as GM Divya Deshmukh, despite hanging her queen and suffering an armageddon loss. Ju is on four points and GM Koneru Humpy drops to last place with three.

After a rest day, round five starts Saturday, May 30, at 11 a.m. ET / 17:00 CEST / 8:30 p.m. IST.

Once again Carlsen's game saw the day's only three-point classical win, but this time he was on the right side of the result.

Norway Chess Round 4 Results

Norway Chess Round 4: Carlsen Gets Revenge Over Gukesh

Carlsen is right back in the hunt in Oslo after his first classical win took him up to mid-table, while Firouzja is still the sole leader but is now within touching distance for both Praggnanandhaa and So.

Norway Chess Standings After Round 4

Gukesh 0-3 Carlsen

The defining moment of the 2025 edition of Norway Chess was Carlsen playing newly-crowned World Champion Gukesh with the black pieces. Carlsen had already won with White and was on course to make it 2/2 in classical head-to-head wins, when he suddenly lost control and slumped to defeat. Instead of resigning, he first slammed the table, sending the pieces jumping off the board.

OH MY GOD 😳🤯😲 pic.twitter.com/QSbbrvQFkE — Norway Chess ( @NorwayChess ) June 1, 2025

Fast-forward a year and Carlsen again had the black pieces against Gukesh, this time in round four, and he came into the encounter on the back of two classical losses in his first three games. Was he feeling extra motivated? He told IM Anna Rudolf:

I wouldn’t say I was super-motivated today… I kind of had a little bit enough after just playing really poorly three days in a row with very little time, and today I didn’t really have a lot of expectations, but I was happy with the way things went in the opening.

Magnus Carlsen was interviewed by Anna Rudolf after his win. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

Once again we got a running commentary on the early stages from the man himself, with Carlsen coming to the confessional to explain his 6...Qd6!? as a move that would surprise not only his coach, GM Peter Heine Nielsen, but himself—and, almost certainly, his opponent.

"My coach Peter generally tells me that if I manage to surprise him I'll probably surprise my opponent as well & this time I'm surprised myself... I'm pretty much, I wouldn't say clueless, not completely clueless, but fairly clueless!" #NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/oElevLn6b0 — chess24 ( @chess24com ) May 28, 2026

"Fairly clueless" knowledge of the line proved more or less enough, though it wasn't always smooth. The second appearance in the confessional was to confess that 9.Nb5 from Gukesh had come as a surprise.

Magnus in the confessional:

"Questions you may ask:

Did I miss 9.Nb5? Yes.

Was it an unpleasant surprise? Yes, at least initially.

Do I think my position is playable? Yes, I also think it's playable.

That's all!"#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/rNnWvZS0K3 — chess24 ( @chess24com ) May 28, 2026

The surprise cost him more time, and the kind of time-trouble disaster we'd seen against Gukesh in 2025 or indeed in earlier rounds in 2026 seemed very much a possibility again, but this time the world number-one never lost control. In fact, as GM David Howell noted on the live broadcast, he "embraced chaos," and was helped by Gukesh's ambition. Carlsen added:

I think with another player he could have probably played a little bit safer, but Gukesh doesn’t have that style—he kind of wants to go for it, so provocation works in the sense that you get a game.

Gukesh missed the moment to try and bail out, and found his king coming under a fierce attack just as time ran out. 28...f4! was hard to meet.

If the pawn's taken then the black queen comes to h4 with powerful effect. Instead Gukesh found the best defense 29.Bd3! only to miss the only move to stay in the game one move later.

By this stage, both players knew the outcome of the game. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

The only question remaining was whether we'd see a repeat of 2025 and Carlsen spoiling a winning position, but this time he was ruthless, and Gukesh resigned on move 42. Giving up his queen might have been enough to hold if not for Carlsen's passed a-pawn.

No table slam this year as Magnus Carlsen grabs his 1st classical win of #NorwayChess 2026 by beating World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju! https://t.co/H60w1UIGZn pic.twitter.com/rs6uCP0iSN — chess24 ( @chess24com ) May 28, 2026

That's our Game of the Day, which GM Dejan Bojkov analyzes in full below.

The classical win lifted Carlsen from last place to fourth, while Gukesh now finds himself in last place instead—though a classical win away from second.

Gukesh turns 20 on the rest day, and can look back on a difficult couple of years since, at age 18, he achieved the dream of a lifetime for any chess player and became world champion. At the time he vowed to try and become the world number-one as well, but for now there's a long way to go to fulfil that ambition. After the loss to Carlsen, Gukesh is ranked number-20 on the live rating list.

Of course that won't matter much if Gukesh can win the upcoming match against GM Javokhir Sindarov, a player who incidentally Carlsen ran into on Thursday.

Javokhir Sindarov shakes hands with Magnus Carlsen as he leaves the venue after accompanying Bibisara Assaubayeva to the round! #NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/ikEZbKbxML — chess24 ( @chess24com ) May 28, 2026

The other two matches in round four were decided in armageddon.

So 1.5-1 Firouzja

Firouzja resigns as he loses his first match in Oslo this year. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

Wesley So has become the first player to stop Firouzja winning a match in Norway Chess in 2026, though the success was tinged with disappointment. "I was hoping to win at some point the classical game," said So, after getting in some offbeat preparation in the Queen's Gambit Declined.

Firouzja was soon burning up time, but he navigated safely to a draw with no clear chances missed.

After losing to Praggnanandhaa in armageddon in round one, So has been on fire, and he made it three wins in a row with a comprehensive win over the tournament leader. "It was a good game by Wesley, I think, in armageddon," admitted Firouzja, who only began to play well after losing a piece and finding himself down to seconds on the clock. It felt like he might escape, but in the end So reestablished control and was about to win on the board when Firouzja finally lost on time.

Wesley So ends Firouzja's winning run, with Alireza losing on time — though he'll still end the day as the sole leader of #NorwayChess 2026! https://t.co/SORRoSYWSq pic.twitter.com/c7EFwtpY9c — chess24 ( @chess24com ) May 28, 2026

"I’m very happy for the rest day tomorrow—I will try to recover and enjoy the rest day!" said Firouzja, who remains the sole leader even if his momentum has slowed somewhat since winning two classical games at the start.

Alireza Firouzja still leads as we're about to reach the halfway mark. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

Keymer 1-1.5 Praggnanandhaa

Keymer-Praggnanandhaa was a tense battle. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

This encounter seemed destined to provide the day's second classical win, but in the end both players were left with regrets. "I think I played a very nice game up until some point, and then time got less and less and I started making huge errors," said Keymer, while Praggnanandhaa commented, "It’s a bit disappointing when you see that you mess up such a good position." Even at the very end, Praggnanandhaa could have played on instead of taking a draw by repetition.

28...d5?! was the moment of peak tension in the game.

Praggnanandhaa consoled himself with the fact that at some point he'd have been happy to make a draw in classical chess, and added that "armageddon went smooth."

Praggnanandhaa is in sole second place, 2.5 points behind Firouzja. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

In the armageddon, Keymer regretted that he fell into his opponent's preparation, though he actually had some chances for the first time just at the moment he blundered and had to resign on move 17.

Keymer, making his debut in Norway Chess, admitted he's yet to get used to playing armageddon after classical chess, and he's now lost four armageddons in a row.

Norway Chess Women Round 4: Assaubayeva Extends Her Lead

Another debutante, Assaubayeva, holds a 1.5-point lead over Muzychuk, Divya, and Zhu as they head into the rest day. No player has been able to score a classical win since Assaubayeva's in round one, but it hasn't been for a lack of chances.

Norway Chess Women Standings After Round 4

Assaubayeva 1.5-1 Ju

In her first game ever against the women's world champion, Assaubayeva had a true shot at scoring another three points. Though she let the first game slip, the three-time women's blitz world champion still scored the armageddon win.

Assaubayeva's first classical clash with the women's world champion. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

In the classical game, White gained the initiative after Black's erroneous 15...Nf5?, and the fact that Black hadn't yet developed her bishop came back to bite her surprisingly fast. The Kazakh grandmaster found the best move 21.Bc2!, but on the next move failed to identify the critical plan, which was to line up the battery with Qd3 and mate on h7.

To prepare that, White must first control the f5-square, and either 22.g4 or 22.Nh4 would have achieved that goal. After 22.Bb3?!, evidently transferring the bishop to the wrong diagonal, White was still somewhat better, but it was nowhere close to the advantage she could have had. The game ended in a draw.

Ju said she "mixed up some lines" in the opening in the previous game, and in the armageddon went for the Queen's Indian Defense instead. Assaubayeva struck with the pawn sacrifice 6.d5 but followed it up with the less usual 7.Nd4!? (rather than the main line 7.Nh4). The Chinese GM unnecessarily weakened her dark squares with 11...g6?, and the lingering consequences of that move extended to the rest of the game.

Assaubayeva said that she had looked at this pawn sacrifice some time ago and considered it to be a "very good idea for armageddon." She explained, "I have a pleasant position and I had much more time. Yeah, nice game!"

Yeah, nice game! —Bibisara Assaubayeva

Ju sinks to her fourth out of four armageddon losses. But still, she's three points behind the leader, which is the equivalent of only one classical win. She said, "I'm not so satisfied, but in general, I think I care more about the classical quality."

I'm not so satisfied, but in general, I think I care more about the classical quality. —Ju Wenjun

Another serious chance was missed in the classical encounter between Divya and Muzychuk.

Divya 1-1.5 Muzychuk

Peter Bakken makes the ceremonial first move. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

For the first 13 moves, the players followed an encounter between GM Lorenzo Lodici and GM Javokhir Sindarov from the 2024 FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship. It's not clear whether Muzychuk was aware of the game, but she repeated Sindarov's move 11....Bxb3?—a mistake. With the white pieces, Divya thought for over five minutes and found the best reply, improving on Lodici's play with the excellent 13.Bb2! and 14.c4!. She ended up with the better minor piece and an unusual pawn diamond on the light squares.

Divya had a lasting advantage, and pursued it for a long time, but ultimately lost it in the run-up to the time control on move 40. Another draw.

Muzychuk said, "I think we both played awful. But, for me, I was already quite happy to survive this classical game because I was in huge trouble by position and by time." Explaining how she escaped, she said the most important part was playing fast: "I was trying to find the best defense, and then at some point I just realized I have to make the moves because you don't have the increment until move 40... then the priority was time."

At some point I just realized I have to make the moves because you don't have the increment until move 40. —Anna Muzychuk

Divya simply fell apart in the armageddon game. She explained, "The classical game really took a lot of energy from me, and that's also why I couldn't perform my best in armageddon." She was outplayed and blundered a pawn, but the key moment of the game was the last move. She left her queen hanging, though a draw was already the most likely result—the same as a loss for White in armageddon.

Muzychuk, who ranked her performance as "quite okay," has now joined the chasing pack of three players closest to Assaubayeva.

Humpy 1-1.5 Zhu

This was the one classical game where no significant chances were missed. In the armageddon, however, Zhu sacrificed a pawn for a powerful attack against the king.

A fruitful day at the library for Zhu. Photo: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess.

Zhu said afterward, "I think the classical game was very complicated. I feel I had some initiative in the middlegame, but I didn't find the way to push... later, I think it's equal." Maybe Black had a tiny edge when she won the bishop pair, but neither player missed a win or anything like that.

In the armageddon game, Humpy went for a dubious, although appropriately ambitious, plan of 8.Rg1 and 9.g4. Zhu said, "I think she chose a very aggressive opening, I mean Rg1 g4, but I think I just tried to play logical moves and the black position is fine."

Humpy's position was harder to play, and she said, "I just played and I started blundering all of a sudden." She identified the mistake and its effect on the game: "Probably I should have played h5 instead of b4. b4 was just too stupid because once she got this ...d4 and ...Bf8 my king got open completely."

With one loss in classical and three losses in armageddon, Humpy is in last place with three points. However, a single classical win is all it takes to potentially land a point behind the leader. Every player is still in contention to win the event.

After a rest day, Firouzja has White against Keymer, while Assaubayeva is Black against Muzychuk.

Round 5 Pairings

NM Anthony Levin contributed to this report.

How to watch?

Women. You can watch Norway Chess 2026 on the Chess24 YouTube and Twitch channels. The games can also be followed from our events page: Open

The live broadcast was hosted by IMs Tania Sachdev and Jovanka Houska, and GM David Howell.

Norway Chess 2026 features Open and Women's six-player tournaments for equal prize funds of 1,690,000 NOK (~$182k). It runs May 25 to June 5 in Oslo, with players facing their opponents twice at classical chess (120 minutes/40 moves, with a 10-second increment from move 41). The winner of a classical game gets three points, the loser, zero; after a draw, the players get one point and fight for another half-point in armageddon (10 minutes for White, seven for Black, who has draw odds).

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