Stavanger, May 27: The opening day of Norway Chess kicked off with a thrilling first round as the year’s most anticipated chess showdown kept the packed crowd at the Sparebank 1 Sor-Norge headquarters on the edge of their seats.

The face-off between World No. 1, Magnus Carlsen and reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, lived up to the billing with the game going down to the wire. Magnus Carlsen, playing with the white pieces, showed his endgame expertise. Under time pressure, Gukesh made a losing mistake, and Carlsen accurately finished the game in his favour.

In the all-American matchup, Hikaru Nakamura said that he offered a draw to Fabiano Caruana during the game, but Caruana did not accept it. Nakamura eventually secured a crucial victory in the endgame with the black pieces.

The first game of the evening to conclude was Wei Yi against Arjun Erigaisi, which ended in a draw. In the exciting following Armageddon game Erigaisi defended excellently against the pressure put up by Wei, winning the Armageddon game.

The Norway Chess Women’s tournament also saw action with a decisive win for Humpy Koneru against Vaishali Rameshbabu in the only all-Indian matchup of the day. Playing with characteristic calm and precision, Humpy Koneru capitalised on her opponent’s mistake in the endgame.

Both the other two games, Anna Muzychuk against Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and Lei Tingjie against Ju Wenjun, have ended in a peaceful draw. Anna Muzychuk and Lei Tingjie won their respective Armageddon games, finishing the day on a high note.

This year’s Norway Chess lineup features top names such as World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, World No.1 Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi and Wei Yi.

In Norway Chess Women, reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun is joined by Lei Tingjie, Humpy Koneru, Anna Muzychuk, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh.

Both tournaments follow a 6-player double round-robin format with equal prize funds, highlighting a strong commitment to gender equality in chess.

A signature of Norway Chess is its distinctive format. When a classical game ends in a draw, an Armageddon game determines the winner, ensuring exhilarating decisive results in every game.

(IANS)

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