All three classical video games might have been decisive in spherical 5 of Norway Chess 2026, however we received two Black wins and just one draw. GM Vincent Keymer missed an opportunity in his classical encounter towards match chief GM Alireza Firouzja, who gained the armageddon recreation and stays 1.5 factors forward of the pack. For the second time in his profession, GM Wesley So beat world number-one GM Magnus Carlsen of their classical encounter and jumped to second place, leaving Carlsen in final. Lastly, World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju scored his first classical win within the match towards GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu to land in third place, two factors behind So.
GM Divya Deshmukh has taken over because the chief of Norway Chess Ladies 2026 after GM Zhu Jiner overpressed in a greater place and misplaced in classical chess. Divya leads GM Bibisara Assaubayeva by half some extent after the earlier chief misplaced a wild armageddon conflict towards GM Anna Muzychuk. Neither GM Koneru Humpy nor GM Ju Wenjun had gained a match going into spherical 5, with Humpy the participant to vary that sequence—the ladies’s world champion has now misplaced 5 armageddons in a row!
Spherical six begins Sunday, Could 31, at 11 a.m. ET / 17:00 CEST / 8:30 p.m. IST.
The gamers returned from the remaining day with renewed power, and half the classical video games had been decisive. So, Gukesh, and Divya scored three factors.
Norway Chess Spherical 5: Outcomes
As Firouzja continues to guide Norway Chess, Divya has overtaken the chief within the Ladies on the midway mark of the match.
Norway Chess Spherical 5: Standings
Norway Chess Spherical 5: Firouzja Nonetheless Chilling In 1st As So, Gukesh Decide Up Wins
Norway Chess historically hosts some kind of non-chess recreation on the remaining day. Whereas final 12 months the gamers participated in a collection of Wild West contests in a Western-themed village, this 12 months they went crusing. Gukesh, who celebrated his twentieth birthday, was on the successful workforce.
Crusing time ⛵️
On the Norway Chess relaxation day, the gamers traded the chessboard for a crusing race.
Staff Gray: Magnus, Divya, Vincent, Bibisara & Pragg 🩶
vs.
Staff Blue: Gukesh, Wesley, Humpy, Anna & Zhu 💙Will this little journey give both workforce an additional enhance for the… pic.twitter.com/3ydzTQEGIg
— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) Could 30, 2026
The Friday outing offered for loads of content material—pictures and movies—however not all followers had been entertained. GM Anish Giri, from the skin wanting in, raised a sound grievance.
I used to be invited to mistaken editions. Again in my day we needed to milk an precise cow. https://t.co/Bc0v04orrR
— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) Could 29, 2026
The gamers anchored again at their boards within the library on Saturday. Firouzja, who has remained in pole place since beating Carlsen within the very first spherical, continues to guide. We could later look again on this spherical as pivotal, since Keymer got here near touchdown a win within the classical recreation—and it might have been 3/3 wins for the black items.
However the French number-one proved too slippery after which gained the additional half-point in armageddon. For Keymer, it is a fifth armageddon loss in a row.
Firouzja 1.5-1 Keymer
Firouzja 1.5-1 Keymer
The match chief could not have been conscious of how a lot bother he actually was in. Keymer received the higher hand out of the opening, which was a Benoni pawn construction with reversed colours. And his initiative might have reached decisive proportions if he had discovered 20…Rf6!. Whereas it appears sturdy, GM David Howell on the printed stated that with out the eval bar, it would not be so clear to him that Black is totally successful.
As an alternative, Keymer first performed 20…Be7?! after which defended his pawn with 21…Bc5?, and all of the benefit was misplaced. “Not such an ideal high quality, however not a foul recreation additionally,” stated Firouzja of the sport, which was the one classical draw.
The armageddon recreation was “not unhealthy,” in Firouzja’s opinion. Keymer held the steadiness for a very long time, however as each gamers dropped beneath three minutes, Fireplace-ouzja (as he was known as on the printed) discovered a exact tactical refutation to Keymer’s 27…Rb3??. The ultimate level of the mix appeared solely 5 strikes later, a fork on the d3-rook.
Carlsen 0-3 So
So, after his classical win towards the sixteenth world champion, is the one participant who can theoretically catch as much as the match chief with one other classical win.
So has overwhelmed Carlsen in simply two classical video games, and the primary time was in Norway Chess 2018! The American, who joined the Chess24 broadcast, noticed, “Perhaps that is his weak spot, defending his residence courtroom!”
Perhaps that is his weak spot, defending his residence courtroom!
—Wesley So
Carlsen visited the confessional early on and summarized his day thus far:
1. Wakened
2. Had breakfast
3. Had a nap
4. Felt actually previous
On the fourth level, he stated he had simply appeared on the opening earlier than the sport however might hardly bear in mind the small print. The opening itself could not have been the decisive subject, nevertheless, as So stated he additionally could not bear in mind his evaluation. One factor was clear after 5.Bg5 within the Italian, So stated: “I noticed this was going to be a protracted day.”
Carlsen received up from that very same confessional session and instantly sat again right down to recommend they swap out one of many screens to point out the PSG vs. Arsenal match. Although he did not get the luxurious of watching soccer throughout his personal recreation, PSG gained 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
“Wesley in all probability has to comply with this, however personally I might not thoughts if one of many screens of my recreation was switched out with PSG versus Arsenal,” says Magnus throughout his recreation.#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/W0rFNK0GQm
— chess24 (@chess24com) Could 30, 2026
Carlsen would not return to the confessional once more this spherical, and as an alternative he’d go on to lose a 3rd classical recreation. So aggressively gained house on the kingside as he kicked the g5-bishop again, however stated, “I had no concept what was occurring. I used to be simply hoping I would not lose immediately.”
Within the middlegame, So received optimistic, “When he went to 6 minutes [on move 30] and he wasn’t actually higher, I knew I had good possibilities.” That is additionally proper when the place began to show, and “when he retreated his knight to the passive f1-square, I used to be very blissful,” So defined after the sport. GM Dejan Bojkov analyzes all of it within the annotations beneath.
Even after defeating him, So hailed Carlsen because the GOAT of chess. He stated, “It isn’t a masterpiece, however I am more than happy to beat Magnus, who’s one of the best participant on this planet by far and possibly goes down as one of the best chess participant who ever lived.”
He went on, “I’m usually very nervous enjoying Magnus, however I knew he wasn’t in his finest kind on this match. I do not assume he is—one thing simply feels a bit off.” Carlsen continues to be the world number-one by over 30 factors on the dwell score checklist, however he has dropped 15 within the first half of this occasion.
So was additionally requested if he received the birthday boy, Gukesh, a present, particularly as they had been on the identical successful workforce within the boat race. “That is a tough query. Sindarov did not get him a present both!” he neither admitted nor denied.
Praggnanandhaa 0-3 Gukesh
Along with his first classical win of the occasion, Gukesh catapulted himself from final to 3rd place. One other classical win and he’ll be theoretically—if Firouzja loses too—a half-point away from match lead.
The nail-biting Indian encounter might have, within the true sense of the phrase, gone both approach. Each gamers had successful positions, however as we frequently hear in chess circles, it’s the participant who makes the second-to-last mistake that wins the sport.
Out of the opening, which was a Ragozin, the commentators had been optimistic for Praggnanandhaa’s possibilities, even when the analysis bar was near equal. Gukesh, for the primary time, entered the confessional sales space and did not look within the least nervous about his place.
Gukesh enters the confessional, and says he has “a extremely tense place” towards Praggnanandhaa the place he hopes to play on either side of the board!https://t.co/6LvFoz9k31#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/G45pCuaLj3
— chess24 (@chess24com) Could 30, 2026
That was after the transfer 18…a5. Gukesh stated that he had the queenside beneath management and that, subsequent, his plan was to drop the queen again to g7 and kick the knight with …f6.
The world champion recognized the proper plan, however took a very long time to lastly play that essential …f6 transfer within the recreation. He delayed it, and by the point the transfer was lastly on the board, Praggnanandhaa had secured different benefits. The knight sacrifice 35.Nxb6!!, in goal phrases, was a successful transfer—although we already know that successful strikes do not all the time win video games.
The sport spiraled uncontrolled within the run-up to maneuver 40 and in addition after it, when each gamers had been enjoying with a couple of minute and a 10-second increment. Praggnanandhaa’s one critical mistake, 43.Kf2??, meant the sport was over. Gukesh ended the sport with a direct checkmating assault.
Gukesh known as it “only a very advanced recreation” and added, “Fortunately, the methods sort of labored out for me!” The methods additionally labored out for our new match chief in Norway Chess Ladies.
Norway Chess Ladies Spherical 5: Divya Takes Over As Chief
Muzychuk 1.5-1 Assaubayeva
Defending champion Muzychuk had the white items and an opportunity to beat and overtake the chief, however as she admitted in a late confessional, Assaubayeva was in a position to blitz out virtually all her strikes in a “tough” classical recreation.
Anna Muzychuk: “It appears like my recreation will finish in a draw comparatively quickly. I do not play 1.d4 fairly often however nonetheless Bibisara knew the road higher than me & blitzed virtually all of the strikes, so time to assume what to do within the Armageddon!”#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/wvFfPRvFcp
— chess24 (@chess24com) Could 30, 2026
Muzychuk was by no means worse in a super-sharp King’s Indian Protection, however Assaubayeva drew with ease. She’d used simply seven minutes on her clock when she performed a high-quality alternate sacrifice on transfer 21.
Each gamers had misplaced only a single recreation in armageddon, so a fierce battle was assured and, certainly, it might have gone both approach. There have been wild swings proper up till the top, when, on transfer 39, Assaubayeva used up half her remaining eight seconds and grabbed the mistaken rook. Instantly she was useless misplaced on the board, and in addition behind on the clock, with the sport ending because the match chief misplaced on time.
Anna Muzychuk beats Bibisara Assaubayeva on time in a loopy end and cuts the hole to the chief to a single level! https://t.co/mKx1GOupVd#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/J1spBYa0Ph
— chess24 (@chess24com) Could 30, 2026
“All my armageddon video games are fairly loopy—after they finish effectively, I don’t complain!” stated Muzychuk.
All my armageddon video games are fairly loopy—after they finish effectively, I do not complain!
—Anna Muzychuk
That noticed Muzychuk transfer inside some extent of Assaubayeva however, extra importantly, it allowed Divya to overhaul her.
Zhu 0-3 Divya
Divya grabbed solely the second classical win of Norway Chess Ladies 2026, however for a lot of the encounter, the one participant who appeared to have an opportunity of choosing up three factors was ladies’s world number-four Zhu. She performed what could have been an over-the-board novelty, however it labored completely, with the Indian star reacting badly and discovering herself virtually busted when 14.d5! appeared on the board.
Divya was pressured to sink into deep thought, and even when it got here as a reduction when Zhu then swapped off queens, she nonetheless discovered herself desperately brief on time ready which, at worst, appeared risk-free for White.
What adopted was wild, nevertheless, with Divya persevering with to search out good strikes on intuition till Zhu was no higher and missed the second when she ought to have shut the sport down for a draw. Divya whipped up fierce counterplay, Zhu additionally received right down to enjoying on the 10-second increment, and in the long run an 84-move win gave Divya the only lead.
Divya Deshmukh scores solely the 2nd classical win of #NorwayChess Ladies—regardless of being on the ropes for a lot of the recreation—to take over as the brand new chief! https://t.co/Z6D1YbcXBQ pic.twitter.com/AsY0ZmwgdL
— chess24 (@chess24com) Could 30, 2026
That leaves the conflict of the 2 sleeping giants.
Ju 1-1.5 Humpy
The ladies’s world champion and the world number-six went into Norway Chess Ladies as potential winners, however earlier than this conflict neither had gained a match. Humpy misplaced in classical chess to Assaubayeva after which misplaced in armageddon after beginning with attracts in her remaining matches, whereas Ju had made 4 attracts and misplaced all 4 armageddons.
Their head-to-head conflict was an opportunity to vary that, however the classical recreation solely instructed how out-of-form each gamers had been. Ju went for simplifications quite than making an attempt to construct strain, and each gamers received into time bother, although ready the place they might shuffle items for a draw.
That meant that one participant would at the least choose up a primary match win of the occasion, in armageddon, and that participant was Humpy.
Ju, enjoying a must-win recreation with the white items, missed one nice likelihood to launch an assault with 15.Nxf6+!. When that was missed, Humpy consolidated and safely steered the sport towards a draw. She was helped in the long run by Ju shedding on time in a state of affairs the place each gamers had been right down to seconds.
Humpy and Ju proceed to occupy the final two spots within the standings, however as we have seen, one three-point classical win can change all the things. In spherical six, Ju has Black towards chief Divya, whereas Humpy is Black towards second-placed Assaubayeva.
In Norway Chess, the sport to look at is definitely Carlsen vs. Firouzja.
Colin McGourty contributed to this report.
Methods to watch?
Norway Chess 2026 options Open and Ladies’s six-player tournaments for equal prize funds of 1,690,000 NOK (~$182k). It runs Could 25 to June 5 in Oslo, with gamers going through their opponents twice at classical chess (120 minutes/40 strikes, with a 10-second increment from transfer 41). The winner of a classical recreation will get three factors, the loser, zero; after a draw, the gamers get one level and battle for one more half-point in armageddon (10 minutes for White, seven for Black, who has draw odds).
Earlier protection:
