All you need to know about Norway Chess
The 12th edition of the Norway Chess super-tournament will take place from May 27th to June 7th in Stavanger, Norway. This year’s event introduces the world’s first equal female tournament, the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament, which will run concurrently with the same format and prize fund. Notable participants include the reigning World Champions Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun, as well as World No.1 Magnus Carlsen. The tournament format includes double round-robins with Armageddon deciders, ensuring an exciting competition.
The highly anticipated 12th edition of the Norway Chess super-tournament is set to take place from May 27th to June 7th at the SR-Bank’s main building in Stavanger, Norway. This event continues to attract top-tier chess talent and is poised to deliver thrilling matches for enthusiasts worldwide as it will be broadcasted not only in the local channels and on Youtube, but also on TV in India, China, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
This year’s tournament marks a historic milestone with the introduction of the inaugural Norway Chess Women’s Tournament. This groundbreaking event will feature the same number of players, an identical format, and an equivalent prize fund as the main tournament, making it the first of its kind in the world. Both events will be held concurrently in the same venue, underscoring a commitment to gender equality in chess.
Among the distinguished participants are the reigning World Champions Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun. The tournament will also see the participation of local hero and World No.1 Magnus Carlsen, alongside other elite players such as Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, and rising star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. The previous year’s Norway Chess winner, Hikaru Nakamura, is also set to defend his title.
In a notable first, siblings Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali Rameshbabu will compete side by side. Vaishali, the third woman in India to achieve the GM title, and her brother Praggnanandhaa, will both be making their debut in the Norway Chess tournaments. Their participation highlights their remarkable achievements in the chess world and brings an additional layer of interest to the event.
This year’s format is a double round-robin with six players competing. Each classical game will have a time control of 120 minutes per player, with a 10-second increment starting from move 41. If a classical game ends in a draw, it will be followed by an Armageddon game, where White has 10 minutes and Black has 7 minutes, with a 1-second increment per move starting from move 41.
Points will be awarded as follows: a win in the classical game earns 3 points, a loss earns 0 points, a draw in the classical game followed by a win in the Armageddon game earns 1½ points, and a draw followed by a loss in the Armageddon game earns 1 point. This scoring system ensures that every game is fiercely contested, adding to the excitement of the tournament.
Last year’s edition saw a dramatic conclusion with Hikaru Nakamura clinching the title by defeating long-time leader Fabiano Caruana in the final round. Nakamura’s performance included three wins and no losses, propelling him to second place in the live ratings list. Fabiano Caruana finished second, while the young talent Dommaraju Gukesh secured third place, impressing many with his performance.
This year’s Norway Chess tournament promises to be equally captivating, with the addition of the women’s tournament and the participation of chess luminaries ensuring high-stakes and high-quality chess matches.
