Last Updated:May 27, 2025, 07:43 IST
Magnus Carlsen defeated world champion D Gukesh in the opening round of Norway Chess.
Magnus Carlsen beat D Gukesh at Norway Chess (X)
Magnus Carlsen demonstrated why he is considered the best player globally across all formats by defeating the world champion D Gukesh from India in the opening round of Norway Chess, securing three full points on Monday.
In this match, Magnus Carlsen aimed to unsettle D Gukesh by employing the Jobava London, a rarely seen opening move, in what was Gukesh’s first Classical game against Carlsen since winning the world title last year in Singapore. Despite this, Gukesh, playing with the black pieces, successfully neutralised Carlsen’s advantage by the 11th move, even putting Carlsen in a challenging position.
However, the Norwegian, a five-time world champion who has shifted focus to shorter formats like Rapid and Blitz, as well as Freestyle chess, proved his enduring prowess in the Classical format by winning a match that extended over four hours and 56 moves.
“I don’t know how I won this game. At some point, I thought it was going to be a draw,” Carlsen was quoted as saying to TV2 in Norwegian.
Earlier in the day, Arjun Erigaisi, the other Indian participant in the six-player round-robin Open category, impressed by defeating his Chinese opponent Wei Yi in Armageddon after they had agreed to a draw.
While the spotlight was primarily on the match between India’s teenage world champion Gukesh and the world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Erigaisi, ranked No. 4 globally, was the first to secure points by overcoming China’s No. 1 player Wei in Armageddon following their 54-move draw.
Playing with the black pieces, Erigaisi adopted an aggressive approach to force a draw and then won against Wei on time in the Armageddon tiebreak. In Armageddon, white gets 10 minutes while black gets only seven, yet Erigaisi overcame this disadvantage to clinch the victory.
With this result, Erigaisi has 1.5 points after the opening round, whereas Wei has one point. In Norway Chess, players earn three points for a win in the Classical format, while a draw earns each player a point. A win in Armageddon grants the winner an additional 0.5 points.
(With inputs from PTI)
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