Assaubayeva all but secures overall victory

Bibisara Assaubayeva took a major step towards winning Norway Chess Women by defeating Divya Deshmukh in round eight. The result left the Kazakh grandmaster 5½ points ahead of Divya and in a position to clinch the title with a round to spare if she avoids a classical loss against Anna Muzychuk in the penultimate round.

Meanwhile, defending champion Anna Muzychuk has moved into second place despite drawing all her classical games in Oslo.

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Round 8 results

Standings after round 8

Assaubayeva's win over Deshmukh was the key result of the day. Going into the game, Deshmukh had a chance to overtake the leader with a classical victory, and for a long stretch that outcome looked possible. She won the opening battle in a rare Sicilian line and later used a tactical idea to install a strong knight on d5, giving her serious practical chances.

The game changed in time trouble. Assaubayeva had been under pressure, but she managed to create complications around the white king. Her dark-squared bishop, which had looked passive earlier in the game, became an important attacking piece in the final phase.

Deshmukh, short of time and facing direct threats, lost control, and Assaubayeva finished the game with a mating attack.

Fritz 21

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The victory gave Assaubayeva a plus-three classical score in Oslo, the best classical result in the field by a clear margin. In fact, no other participant has scored more than one classical win in the event.

Divya Deshmukh v. Bibisara Assaubayeva | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Muzychuk moved into second place, although not through a classical win. She drew her eighth classical game in a row, this time against Koneru. The game itself gave little indication that the draw would be avoided, and the players moved on to Armageddon.

Muzychuk had been highly successful in the format during the tournament, while Koneru had struggled in Armageddon games. That pattern almost continued when Muzychuk reached a winning knight endgame, but she failed to convert.

Koneru held the draw she needed with the black pieces, taking the Armageddon win. Despite the result, she remains in last place and is mathematically out of contention for first.

Humpy Koneru | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

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Anna Muzychuk | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Zhu scored the other classical win of the round, defeating women's world champion Ju in the all-Chinese encounter. The game began as a Four Knights Scotch and initially seemed likely to simplify, despite Black's damaged pawn structure.

White's advantage was not easy to convert. Even when engines preferred Zhu's position, the practical path was not straightforward.

Zhu kept pressing, however, and the quiet struggle eventually turned into a decisive attack. Ju resigned when her king was facing unavoidable mating threats from White's rooks.

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The loss ended Ju's mathematical chances of winning the event. Zhu’s victory, meanwhile, helped her recover ground after earlier setbacks.

Zhu Jiner facing Ju Wenjun | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

All games - Classical

All games - Armageddon

Links

• Official website
• Norway Chess announces move to Oslo for 2026 edition