Gukesh Defeats Carlsen in Classical Chess at Norway 2025

Gukesh defeated the World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the sixth round of the Norway Chess championship in Stavanger. Even though Carlsen had led for much of the match, a mistake by the world champion at the end allowed Gukesh to beat him and gain his first classical win. Because of this, Gukesh took third place in the event, closing in on leaders Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana with one point left to the end.

Context

• Gukesh won his first classical match against Carlsen, putting him in 3rd position in the Norway Chess standings.

Key Points

Gukesh Made Headlines with His Victory:

• The Indian player turned the tide in the game when Carlsen made a risky knight move in a tough scramble.

• He said he faced a lucky break in the game, yet also recognised that tricky moves played a big role in distracting Carlsen.

Tournament Standings:

• Gukesh has 8.5 points, only one point lower than the leaders Carlsen and Caruana (9.5 points each).

• Both Arjun Erigaisi and Hikaru Nakamura have 7.5 points and are tied for fourth place.

Women participants

• An intense Armageddon tie-breaker saw Koneru Humpy lose to R. Vaishali, revealing fresh talent in the women’s group.

Additional Results:

• Arjun Erigaisi won a deciding Armageddon match against Wei Yi.

• Fabiano Caruana was the winner when they had an Armageddon tie-break against Hikaru Nakamura.

• Ju Wenjun and Anna Myzychuk were able to win their Armageddon tie-break matches.

Conclusion

Gukesh making his debut in winning a classical game against Carlsen was a major achievement and meant he was moving up in the chess world. Participants in this tournament are extremely skilled and up-and-coming players always compete well against established champions. Gukesh is happier after this victory and with this win, India is taking a leading role in chess worldwide.

UPSC Prelims Question 

Q: Who did Indian chess prodigy D. Gukesh defeat for his first classical win at the Norway Chess tournament 2025?
A) Fabiano Caruana
B) Magnus Carlsen
C) Hikaru Nakamura
D) Wei Yi