OSLO: On the streets of Oslo on Saturday, there were Barcelona jerseys wherever you looked. Not without reason. On an increasingly sun-kissed day, their women's team lifted the Champions League at the Ullevaal Stadion in central Oslo.
A 4-0 win meant their fans were happy to shoot the breeze deep into the night. On June 1, Ullevaal will also host the Norway men's team in one of their last friendlies before the World Cup in US, Mexico and Canada.
Around that time, Erling Haaland, one of Norway's most instantly recognisable sportspersons, could be a surprise visitor to the Deichman, Oslo's National Library. It's an imposing building next to the ocean and the Munch museum in one of Europe's great tourist cities.
So why would the forward visit the Deichman? This year's Norway Chess will be held there and Haaland is an investor in the Total Chess World Championship, whose pilot event is set for later this year.
How did it come about? Here's Kjell Madland, Norway Chess' CEO. "We worked for many months," he said on Sunday. "There were many meetings and discussions with his team and after a while, they presented to him. He was excited about it and he was thinking, maybe, this is something he can be a part of. He's very interested and also they (his team) were clear that if they wanted to go into it, they wanted to be one of the biggest owners of the company. That was good for it. There were good discussions and we were very happy.
"The most important thing for Haaland was the history of Norway Chess and the agreement we have with FIDE and the opportunity to build maybe the last big sport in the world who isn't commercialised. This is a big thing and these three things were the biggest for him."
The agreement with FIDE is a big one because the upcoming tournament gives a pathway to qualifying for the Candidates directly from the Total World Championship.
Because the organisers of Norway Chess have put together the TCWC, they don't yet know in what way, shape or form Norway Chess will take from 2027. Madland wants to have both but said they are still talking about it.
Could Alireza feature in a wheelchair?
The world of elite chess is known for being prim and proper. That particular imagery received a beating last week when Alireza Firouzja, who had injured his right ankle, played while lying on a bed in his hotel room. This happened in the fourth round of the Super Chess Classic, a tournament in Romania. The images from that game spread like wildfire because it had to be seen to be believed.
While his opponent, Javokhir Sindarov, was sitting in an office chair, the Frenchman, in red boxers and a T-shirt, was sprawled on the bed, with a pillow providing support to a clearly swollen ankle. Firouzja, who has designs on becoming a world champion, played one more match in this fashion, before withdrawing from the tournament.
While the 22-year-old will play all games from the playing hall at Norway Chess, it's understood that a wheelchair has been kept on standby if he so wishes. Madland, who wasn't a big fan of the images from Bucharest, expects Firouzja to sit in the normal gaming chair given to all players. "It's not very nice because you have him of course lying on the bed and also for the opponent to sit there and play against him," he said.
"Not sure if he can play in the wheelchair," he said when asked how Firouzja will be playing at this event. "We have arranged everything and we have a wheelchair (on standby) as well. When he made his way to Oslo for the tournament on Sunday, he was pictured in a wheelchair.
Sindarov asks for 'privacy'
Sindarov, who will face D Gukesh for the world title later this year, is understood to be at the event but he wants to keep a low profile. The Uzbek, here supporting partner Bibisara Assaubayeva, has seemingly asked for some 'privacy' from the prying eyes of the media. One wonders if he will meet Gukesh over the next few days.
Norway Chess format
* 10-match double round-robin tournament from Monday.
* If the game ends in a draw, single match Armageddon will be played to decide the winner.
* It will be played in Classical format.
Field
Open: Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh, VIncent Keymer, Alireza Firouzja, Wesley So, R Praggnanandhaa
Women: Zhu Jiner, Ju Wenjun, Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Anna Muzychuk
