India’s World Champion D Gukesh secured a historic victory against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 of Norway Chess 2025, earning his first classical win over the Norwegian grandmaster. Although Gukesh was in a losing position for much of the game, he seized upon a rare endgame mistake by Carlsen to stage a remarkable comeback. After 62 intense moves and over four hours of play, his grit and sharp play under heavy time pressure clinched the win.
Carlsen’s frustration was evident as he slammed the table, scattering chess pieces, but he soon composed himself, shaking Gukesh’s hand and offering a congratulatory pat—a show of sportsmanship despite the tense finish. Gukesh, still processing the outcome, said, “99 out of 100 times I would lose. Just a lucky day!” He also acknowledged, “Not the way I wanted it to be, but I will take it,” and responded to Carlsen’s outburst with humor, noting, “I have also banged a lot of tables in my career.”
This victory moved Gukesh up to third place in the Norway Chess standings with 8.5 points, just one behind Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana. Praising his student’s perseverance, coach GM Vishnu Prasanna highlighted how Gukesh fought tirelessly even when the position seemed hopeless. The match is being celebrated as a defining moment of Norway Chess 2025 and marks Gukesh’s rise as a major contender on the global chess scene and a new star for Indian chess.