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Gukesh Falls to Carlsen in High-Voltage Norway Chess Clash

Magnus Carlsen marked his return to classical chess with a thrilling win over World Champion Gukesh in the Norway Chess 2025 opener.

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Gukesh Falls to Carlsen in High-Voltage Norway Chess Clash

Magnus Carlsen made a strong comeback to classical chess, defeating World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in the opening round of Norway Chess 2025.

A Comeback to Remember

Magnus Carlsen returned to individual classical chess after nearly a year. He faced reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a much-awaited Round 1 match. Despite the long break, Carlsen showed sharp form. He launched a brilliant king-side attack that helped him win the game.

Praise for Gukesh

After the match, Carlsen joined live commentary. He praised Gukesh for his competitive spirit. “He’s also an ambitious player,” Carlsen said, as quoted by Chess.com. “So I thought we’re not necessarily going to get a totally flat game just because he’s at least equalised from the opening,” he added.

A Win Is a Win

When asked if the victory meant more because it came against the world champion, Carlsen stayed modest.
“Not necessarily, but every win in this tournament is hard to come by, so I’m happy with that,” he said.

Nakamura Outlasts Caruana

Meanwhile, another big match took place. Hikaru Nakamura played a tough classical game against Fabiano Caruana. The match was long and intense. However, Nakamura used Caruana’s time pressure to his advantage and secured a well-earned win.

Arjun Erigaisi Impresses on Debut

Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi made a memorable debut at Norway Chess. He faced another first-timer, Grandmaster Wei Yi, in the armageddon round. Arjun played confidently and came out on top.

Humpy Scores Only Classical Win in Women’s Section

In the women’s tournament, Grandmaster Koneru Humpy claimed the only classical win of the round. She took full advantage of a major mistake by Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu. Vaishali defended well for most of the game, but under pressure, she made a key error. Humpy quickly turned that into a win.

Other Women’s Matches Go to Armageddon

The rest of the women’s games ended in armageddon tiebreakers. Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk defeated International Master Sara Khadem. Meanwhile, Grandmaster Lei Tingjie outplayed Women’s World Champion Grandmaster Ju Wenjun.