A year after infamous fist-smash, Gukesh vs Magnus Carlsen battles brewing… in a library
5 min readOslo (norway)Updated: May 24, 2026 11:35 PM IST A year after Magnus Carlsen made global headlines by smashing his fist on the table after losing to Gukesh Dommaraju at Norway Chess, both players will square off again… in a library. The Deichman Bjørvika, Oslo’s main public library that is said to house about half a million books in a sprawling six-storey facility, will play host to this year’s edition. The playing hall for this year’s event has been set up on the third floor with tall rows of books from the music section flanking the tables and about a hundred seats set up for ticket-buying fans. All through the day on Sunday, locals trickled in in small batches to click pictures of the unique playing arena where the nation’s favourite chess-playing son will take on some of the world’s best players in classical chess. A playing board for this year’s Norway Chess tournament with the library shelves in the background at the Deichman Bjørvika, a public library at Oslo. (Express photo by Amit …









