D Gukesh vs Magnus Carlsen: Chess History Made in Norway
D Gukesh vs Magnus Carlsen: Indian Grandmaster secures his first classical victory against World No.1 Magnus Carlsen, even when starting out in a losing position.
Gukesh’s Giants Killing Victory Shakes Norway Chess
In an astonishing upset on this day of sports news, Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh defeated World No.1 Magnus Carlsen, during Round 6 of Norway Chess 2025. Incredibly, D Gukesh won from what looked to be a losing position by turning the tables on Carlsen in the final moments of the tense endgame.
This is Gukesh’s first classical win against the five-time World Champion, and will be a life-altering moment for the 19-year old Indian prodigy. Just days earlier, Carlsen had come victorious from their first contest at the tournament, even tweeting to proclaim that he was the unequivocal “King of Chess.” Gukesh’s cold disposition and precise calculations were the perfect antidote to that.
A Contest of Precision and Steely Nerves
With the white pieces, Gukesh started out with 1.e4. With his mind swirling after his last challenges against Fabiano Caruana’s Ruy Lopez, Carlsen opted for a Berlin Defense.
For 43 of his 60 moves, he seemed to be holding all the cards, ending up with a remarkable 98.7% accuracy. But Gukesh refused to give in and continued to look for mistakes in his Norwegian opponent’s position.
Things started to change when Carlsen made a huge blunder – move 44, f6?! – due to running out of time. Gukesh saw this and took advantage of the opportunity, keeping the pressure on with both players now sharing only ten seconds added for each move they made.
Then came Carlsen’s big blunder: 52…Ne2+?? – which gave Gukesh a free hand to punish him decisively. Gukesh took the opening calmly and turned what seemed to be a routine loss for him into one of the greatest wins of his still fledging career.
In a moment of raw emotion, Carlsen banged the table just moments after walking off – a rare show of feeling for the usually unflappable champion. In stark contrast, Gukesh seemed overwhelmed with emotion and shook with disbelief, punctuating his reaction by bursting into laughter.
After the match, Gukesh said, “99 times out of 100 I lose this position” – just to drive home how unlikely it was that he even won that game.
The victory was both a personal accomplishment and a very strong statement to the chess world the next generation is ready to take on the best players.
Tournament Standings Tighten
After the loss, Carlsen retains the top spot in the Norway Chess standings at 9.5 points, now tied for first place with American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana. Gukesh is second at 8.5 points, making for dramatic conclusion to tournament.
In the men’s division, Caruana beat Hikaru Nakamura in Armageddon while Arjun Erigaisi crushed China’s Wei Yi also in Armageddon.
Koneru Humpy is surprisingly still tied for first at 9.5 points in the women’s division after losing to her compatriot R Vaishali in Armageddon. Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk is also tied with Humpy for first place. The women’s division continues to be fierce, demonstrating India’s growing dominance on the world stage.
Looking Forward
Gukesh’s victory over Carlsen will surely be remembered as one of the highlights — and career turning points — of Norway Chess 2025. With only a few rounds left in the tournament overall standings are still very much in the air, and fans around the world are tuning in to everything they can see as the championship race quickens!
Make sure to follow the sports news headlines today and keep an eye on more Norway Chess headlines as this exciting tournament continues to unfold with striking moments, surprises and greatness.
