Assaubayeva becomes early leader

Bibisara Assaubayeva obtained the only classical victory in the first round of Norway Chess Women, while Divya Deshmukh and Zhu Jiner collected Armageddon wins after drawing their classical games. Defending champion Anna Muzychuk began with a draw against Zhu, while world champion Ju Wenjun was unable to convert a favourable position before losing the tiebreak decider to Deshmukh.

The women's event in Oslo follows the same scoring system as the open tournament: a classical win gives 3 points, while drawn games are followed by Armageddon, with 1½ points for the winner and 1 point for the player who draws the classical game but loses the decider.

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Round 1 results

Standings after round 1

Assaubayeva began with a classical win over Humpy Koneru, taking the full 3 points from their opening-round encounter. The Kazakhstani player, who is in Oslo accompanied by Candidates Tournament winner Javokhir Sindarov, obtained a strong position out of the opening and later a large advantage, though the balance shifted before Koneru's final mistake.

Assaubayeva held the initiative for much of the game, but the decisive moment came suddenly. Humpy, under severe time pressure, had only seconds remaining before move 45 and made her decision with one second left on the clock - 45.Kg1 would have kept the position balanced, while her 45.Kf3?? lost the queen by force.

After 45.Kg1 Qf2+ 46.Kh1, the best Black has is 46...Qe1+ 47.Kh2 Qd2+ 48.Bg2 Nxb2, grabbing a pawn, though White surely has drawing chances.

Instead, after the text move 45.Kf3??, Black wins at once with 45...Ne5+ 46.Ke4 Qe2+

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If 47.Kf4, there is 47...Ng6#, while both after 47.Ne3 or 47.Kd5, White collects the queen on a8 with 47...Qf3+. Koneru simply resigned the game.

Humpy Koneru facing Bibisara Assaubayeva | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

Ju Wenjun and Divya Deshmukh drew their classical game before Deshmukh prevailed in Armageddon. The Indian player's position in the first game was promising for a while, but Ju gradually took over and came close to winning. With both players reduced to roughly a minute on the clock, Ju missed a final chance shortly before the game ended in a repetition.

In the Armageddon, Deshmukh was better for most of the encounter. She missed a number of winning continuations, and the clock became her main practical obstacle. In the end, a queen blunder by the world champion settled the game in Deshmukh's favour, giving the Indian player 1½ points from the round.

Despite Black's extra pawn, engines evaluate this position as equal and, in a classical game, Ju is likely to hold a draw from the white side of this position. However, with merely seconds on her clock, she faltered decisively by playing 51.Qc5??, allowing 51...Nf4+ and Black will collect the queen on the next move.

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Reigning world champion Ju Wenjun resigns the game after leaving her queen hanging on c5 | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

The third match, between Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner, also went to Armageddon. Their classical game remained close to equality throughout.

Zhu was then playing her first Armageddon game at Norway Chess, while Muzychuk entered the event as defending champion. The Chinese grandmaster handled the decider confidently, guiding the game towards the draw she needed with the black pieces. She even accepted a draw in a position where she was winning, which was enough under the format to score the Armageddon victory and take 1½ points.

In a must-win situation, Muzychuk played the overly risky 19.g4?!, which prompted Zhu to force simplifications with the strong 19...c4. In fact, Black was for choice in the ensuing position, but the Chinese grandmaster pragmatically traded pieces and had little trouble securing the draw she needed in the rapid-chess decider.

Master Class Vol.16 - Judit Polgar

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Zhu Jiner had the black pieces in round one | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

The Chinese star later gave an interview | Photo: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza

All games - Classical

All games - Armageddon

Links

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