Five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen couldn’t hide his smile at the Norway Chess 2025 when Indian grandmaster D. Gukesh was asked to share his favourite moment of the tournament.
When asked to name the one moment he would remember most from the tournament, Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh didn’t hesitate: “Beating Magnus.” The response drew laughter and genuine amusement from the room, as Magnus Carlsen, seated in the audience, struggled to hide his smile.
When the same question was put to Carlsen, he echoed Gukesh’s sentiment. “I think it’s the same,” he said. “I mean, there were a lot of great moments in the tournament, but that one definitely stands out.”
Gukesh’s first classical win over the world No. 1 was the standout story of Norway Chess 2025. The young Indian stunned the chess world with a composed, high-stakes victory in a tense, closely-watched encounter.
Despite the upset, Carlsen went on to claim the Norway Chess title for the seventh time in his career, thanks to a dramatic final-round comeback. His draw against Arjun Erigaisi in the classical game was enough to edge out both Gukesh and Fabiano Caruana and seal yet another tournament triumph on home soil.
Going into the last round, Gukesh trailed Carlsen by just half a point. For 34 moves, Carlsen’s game against Erigaisi appeared precarious. The young Indian’s tactical acumen had produced a clearly superior position, leaving Carlsen and the home crowd in Stavanger on edge.
Then, in a stunning turnaround over just six moves, Carlsen transformed defence into attack. With his two knights and a rook, he launched a fierce assault on Erigaisi’s king. It was a masterful demonstration of piece coordination and resourcefulness, as Carlsen first saved himself from a dangerous position and then created counter-play.
Despite his efforts, Carlsen couldn’t convert the advantage into a win and agreed to a draw by threefold repetition – a result that ultimately secured his championship.
The title could have been decided by two Armageddon games if Gukesh had managed a draw against Caruana in their classical encounter. The match was incredibly close: Caruana was winning on move 47 but blundered with a pawn push.
However, Gukesh made a costly error on move 48. Instead of capturing a bishop with his queen, he promoted his pawn to a queen – a move that allowed Caruana to deliver a knight fork, gaining a decisive advantage.
This mistake not only cost Gukesh the chance to contest the title but also saw him slip from second place, which was claimed by Caruana.
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