In a dramatic twist at the Norway Chess 2025 tournament, 18-year-old Indian grandmaster D Gukesh pulled off a sensational comeback to defeat World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess for the first time. The victory came as a surprise to many, especially as Carlsen was in a commanding position and looked poised to extend his lead with three more points. However, Gukesh remained composed under pressure and turned the game in his favor, leaving the chess world in awe.
Magnus Carlsen, visibly shocked by the unexpected outcome, expressed his frustration by banging the table, a rare display of emotion from the usually composed Norwegian. Despite the outburst, Carlsen maintained sportsmanship and promptly apologized to Gukesh twice before leaving the hall. In a further gesture of goodwill, he also patted Gukesh on the back, acknowledging the young player’s remarkable win.
This victory was especially sweet for Gukesh, who had lost to Carlsen in the tournament’s opening round. With this crucial win, Gukesh moved up to third place in the standings with 8.5 points, trailing only Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.
A ‘Lucky Day’ for Gukesh
Following the victory, Gukesh remained modest and called it a “lucky day.” Reflecting on the match, he told Sportstar, “Well, there wasn’t much I could do. It was just clearly lost. So I was just trying to make moves which were kind of tricky for him.” He added, “99 out of 100 times I would have lost. Yeah, just a lucky day.”
Despite being on the back foot for much of the game, Gukesh managed to stay in the contest by complicating the position and playing moves that caused Carlsen to spend time navigating through traps. The tension built up as the clock wound down, and Magnus Carlsen ultimately found himself in a high-pressure time scramble, a situation that turned the tide in favor of the Indian teenager.
The match served as a testament to Gukesh’s growing maturity and tactical prowess, proving that he is becoming a formidable force on the international chess scene.
Carlsen Under Pressure, Clock the Culprit
Magnus Carlsen, meanwhile, appeared baffled by the sudden turn of events. Speaking briefly after the match, the world champion admitted, “I don’t know what happened.” The time scramble, as Gukesh pointed out, seemed to be the decisive factor that derailed Carlsen’s advantage.
“Luckily, he got into a time scramble. One thing I learned from this tournament is that time scrambles can get out of control,” Gukesh explained, underscoring how critical time management is even for the top players.
Earlier in the tournament, after beating Gukesh in Round 1, Magnus Carlsen had taken to the social media platform X with a confident post: “When you come at the king, you best not miss.” Now, with Gukesh’s incredible comeback, the tables have turned, reminding everyone that in chess, especially under time pressure, no lead is safe and no victory is guaranteed.
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