Alireza Firouzja pulled off a stunning upset over world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the first round of the Norway Chess tournament. The 22-year-old Iranian-French Grandmaster, who had been playing with an injured ankle, secured his first classical victory over Carlsen.
Day one of play at the Norway Chess tournament, held at Deichman Bjorvika in Oslo's public library, was a success for Gen Z stars. Three out of four Indians - Divya Deshmukh, Praggnanandhaa, and reigning world champion Gukesh - won their first-round encounters.
Divya Deshmukh took down reigning women's world champion Ju Wenjun after getting away from a lost position in the classical game. Gukesh, meanwhile, survived an Armageddon against Vincent Keymer after splitting points in their classical game.
Carlsen had an escape route in his game against Firouzja, but ultimately failed to capitalize on it. The five-time world champion expressed his admiration for Firouzja's performance, saying 'He gave me a lot of tests and in the end, I failed.'
Koneru Humpy was the only Indian player who didn't finish day one with a point, losing to Bibisara Assaubayeva. The Norway Chess tournament is set to continue, with Carlsen facing Gukesh in Round 4 before the tournament heads into its first rest day.
