Reigning world champion Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh will compete in the Norway Chess tournament here in May, joining a star-studded field which includes world number one and defending champion Magnus Carlsen.

With Gukesh confirming his participation, the May 25 to June 5 event will be one of the world’s most sought after chess tournaments. The event is also set to shift from its traditional base in Stavanger to Oslo.

The Indian star, who had finished third in the Open section last year, will come to Oslo as the youngest undisputed world champion in the history of the game. “I am really happy to take part in Norway Chess again, fighting against a very strong field as always, and looking forward to all the exciting games,” Gukesh said in a press release.

In 2024, Gukesh had won the Candidates Tournament before going on to defeat the then world champion Ding Liren, securing the world title at just 18 years of age. His rapid rise includes several historic milestones, among them becoming the youngest player ever to cross the 2750 rating mark and earning the Grandmaster title at the age of 12, the third-youngest in chess history.

Norway Chess has already featured defining moments in Gukesh’s career. At the 2025 edition, he finished third and claimed his first classical victory over Carlsen in a dramatic game that sparked the widely shared table-slam moment and quickly became one of the tournament’s most talked-about encounters.

“Having Gukesh D return to Norway Chess as reigning world champion is something we truly value,” said Benedicte Westre Skog, COO of Norway Chess. “India has become one of the strongest chess nations in the world today, and we know many fans will be following Gukesh closely. We hope chess audiences across India will tune in as he competes in Oslo in 2026,” he said.

Last month, Carlsen had confirmed his participation in the tournament. The 20-time world champion across formats has never missed his home tournament in the last 13 years, though he had expressed a desire to gradually move away from classical chess.

Norway Chess is a classical-format event and Carlsen, the reigning world rapid and blitz champion, has won it seven times. Another Indian star R Praggnanandhaa has also confirmed his participation in the prestigious tournament.

In the women’s section, Indian Grandmaster and World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh will make her debut at Norway Chess, becoming the youngest player to compete in the women’s tournament since its launch in 2024. No Indian has ever won the prestigious tournament so far.

Also read: Carlsen pips Gukesh to Norway Chess title