Kazakhstan’s Assaubayeva eyes landmark victory at Norway Chess Women
Kazakh chess player Bibisara Assaubayeva moved into sole first place at Norway Chess Women 2026 in Oslo after a convincing victory in a classical game. She leads the tournament standings with 15.5 points after eight rounds, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Assaubayeva is arguably producing one of the best classical performances of her career in Norway. Widely known for her achievements in rapid and blitz chess, she is proving that she can also hold her own against the world’s strongest female players in the classical format.
She has been among the tournament leaders for most of the competition. She took the lead early with a classical victory over Humpy Koneru and repeatedly returned to the top of the standings despite occasional setbacks. After the sixth round, she regained sole possession of first place and maintained a comfortable lead through round eight.
As victories in classical games carry the greatest weight in the Norway Chess format, Assaubayeva’s results have been especially significant. She has already recorded important wins over Humpy Koneru and Zhu Jiner, while her eighth-round victory against Divya Deshmukh further consolidated her lead and improved her chances of winning the tournament.
Assaubayeva’s performance is particularly noteworthy given the strength of the field. The women’s tournament includes reigning world champion Ju Wenjun, defending champion Anna Muzychuk, Humpy Koneru, Zhu Jiner and Divya Deshmukh, and is regarded as one of the strongest women’s tournaments of the year by average rating.
Prior to the tournament, the Kazakh chess player was viewed as a contender for the leading positions rather than an outright favorite. However, her runner-up finish at the Women’s Candidates Tournament earlier this year had already highlighted her progress in classical chess, and her performance at Norway Chess has only strengthened that assessment.
Meanwhile, after eight rounds of the men’s tournament, Wesley So remains in first place. The American grandmaster defeated Vincent Keymer in an Armageddon tiebreak and retained his lead in the standings.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the Kazakh Cultural Center in Beijing hosted the first Children’s Friendship Cup chess tournament, dedicated to International Children’s Day.
