Last Updated:May 31, 2025, 20:44 IST
Chess stars including Magnus Carlsen and D Gukesh embraced a Wild West theme during the Norway Chess rest day. Carlsen and his wife won the ‘Chess Cowboy Challenge’.
Chess stars took up Wild West theme at Norway Chess. (PC: @NorwayChess/X)
For D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen, staring at the chessboard for hours is part of their daily routine. However, these chess superstars experienced a true Wild West surprise when they had to wear cowboy hats, roper boots, and worn-out jeans for a wrangler look and participate in rodeo activities.
During the rest day of Norway Chess on Friday, the ‘Chess Cowboy Challenge’ was embraced enthusiastically by the 12 chess players who gathered in Westernbyen, a Western-themed village in Algard, outside Stavanger, to see who could take on and win the challenge.
Apart from Carlsen and Gukesh, the star-studded lineup included India’s Arjun Erigaisi, the American duo of Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, and Chinese No.1 Wei Yi.
Among the women, two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy, R Vaishali, the Chinese duo of Ju Wenjun and Li Tingjie, and Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk were ready for some old western fun.
The sixth contender in Norway Chess, Spain’s Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, was unable to join and was replaced by Carlsen’s wife, Ella Carlsen, who proved to be a sharpshooter in the competition.
Each of the 12 competitors was given wild west nicknames: Carlsen became ‘The Lone GOAT,’ Gukesh ‘The Chennai Sharpshooter,’ Nakamura ‘The Blitz Bandit,’ and Caruana ‘The Sicilian Sniper.’
For the women, Vaishali was ‘The Rising Rider,’ Anna ‘Ice Veins,’ Humpy ‘The Hammer’ Koneru, Lei ‘The Lockdown’ Tingjie, Ju ‘No-Loss’ Wenjun, and Ella Carlsen, the ‘Honorary Cowgirl.’
The Cowboy Challenge involved a series of wild tasks, including the Sheriff’s memory test in a jail escape, an axe-throwing competition, lasso tosses, cowboy quizzes, and some horse riding.
Each team was composed of one male and one female player who competed at all stations throughout the challenge.
It was no surprise that Magnus and Ella Carlsen were crowned champions or “Chess Sheriffs,” while Nakamura and Anna claimed second place.
Caruana and Vaishali finished third, whereas reigning world champion Gukesh and his partner Ju Wenjun placed fourth.
The pair of Erigaisi and Humpy ended up in sixth place.
Refreshed and rejuvenated, all 12 players returned to the chess arena to play the fifth round of Norway Chess on Saturday.
Carlsen leads the field with eight points, while Caruana is just one point behind. The two Indians, Gukesh and Erigaisi, are tied for fourth place and will aim to make a strong comeback in the remaining rounds.
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A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you live updates, breaking news, opinions and photos from the wide world of sport. Follow @News18Sports
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