Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women will shift to Oslo after being held in Stavanger for thirteen years, with Deichman Bjorvika as the main venue from May 25 to June 5. Since its establishment in 2013, Stavanger has been the host of Norway Chess.
Kjell Madland, the founder and CEO of Norway Chess, expressed gratitude to Stavanger for its unwavering support, especially in developing Norway Chess Women, a tournament with equal prize conditions. This will mark the 14th edition of Norway Chess and the 3rd edition of Norway Chess Women, with Magnus Carlsen having participated in and won seven editions.
Benedicte Westre Skog, COO of Norway Chess, highlighted the potential of establishing Norway Chess in Oslo, emphasizing the city’s international appeal for a broader audience engagement. Magnus Carlsen has confirmed his participation in Norway Chess 2026, with other participants to be revealed soon, including the lineup for Norway Chess Women.
Norway Chess, founded in 2013 to unite the world’s top chess players, has consistently attracted renowned names like Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Alireza Firouzja. The tournament has also featured leading female players since 2024, including Ju Wenjun, Anna Muzychuk, and Humpy Koneru, with a total of 18 of the highest-rated players in chess history competing in Norway Chess.
Combining classical games with faster time controls and Armageddon tiebreaks, Norway Chess ensures decisive outcomes in every match. Each tournament, Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women, features six players in a double round-robin format across ten rounds, where each player competes twice against every other player — once with white and once with black.
