Norway Chess: Divya Deshmukh to be youngest player to compete in women’s tournament

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3 min readJan 29, 2026 05:31 PM IST

One of the brightest talents in women’s chess today, Divya Deshmukh arrives in Oslo following a breakthrough season in 2025 that has firmly established her among the world’s elite. (Photo: Norway Chess)

Thanks to a high-flying 2025, Divya Deshmukh has been invited to play at the super-elite Norway Chess women’s event in Oslo in May-June this year, thus becoming the youngest player to compete in the women’s tournament since its launch in 2024. So far the organisers of Norway Chess have announced that Bibisara Assaubayeva and last year’s winner Anna Muzychuk will be part of the six-player field. The remaining three players will be announced soon.

In 2025, Deshmukh won the FIDE Women’s World Cup, earned the Grandmaster title and qualified for the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament. At just 19 years old, she became the fourth Indian woman in history to achieve the GM title.

In the open section, Magnus Carlsen, Praggnanandhaa R and Vincent Keymer are the three players announced by the organisers to be competing. Over the last decade, Norway Chess has emerged as one of the world’s premier chess tournaments, particularly since it’s a rare classical event that Magnus Carlsen plays each year. Over the past couple of years, many of India’s top players have featured in Norway Chess, with Praggnanandhaa competing in the 2024 edition and defeating Magnus Carlsen for the first time in classical chess, while world champion Gukesh D and Arjun Erigaisi were invited for the 2025 edition, where Gukesh defeated Carlsen for the first time in classical chess. Vaishali Rameshbabu was part of the 2024 and 2025 editions while Koneru Humpy played last year.

The event has a distinctive six-player double round-robin format. Norway Chess 2026 will take place from May 25 to 5 June at Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo.

“I’m incredibly excited to be competing in Norway Chess. It’s my first time in the country, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what Norway is like. I can’t wait to experience this unique format and compete in such a prestigious tournament. To all the fans rooting for me, thank you for the love and encouragement, see you all there!” Deshmukh was quoted as saying by a statement released by Norway Chess.

“India continues to produce outstanding young chess talent, and Divya is a great example of that momentum,” says Benedicte Westre Skog, COO of Norway Chess. “We’re delighted to welcome her to Norway Chess Women and look forward to engaging a growing Indian chess audience as she makes her debut in Oslo.”

What is Norway Chess Women?

Launched in 2024, Norway Chess Women is the world’s first fully equal super tournament for women in chess, staged in parallel with the main Norway Chess event. The tournament features the same format, number of players, playing conditions and prize fund as the open event, setting a new benchmark for gender equality in professional chess.

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Now entering its third edition, Norway Chess Women has quickly established itself as one of the most prestigious platforms for elite women’s chess, bringing together the world’s strongest female players in a highly competitive and internationally visible setting.

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