Gukesh Dommaraju achieved a remarkable and historic victory against Magnus Carlsen at the 2025 Norway Chess tournament. This was Gukesh’s first classical win against Carlsen, the five-time world champion and longtime world No. 1 ranked player. The match was intense and lasted over four hours, with Carlsen initially maintaining control. However, under severe time pressure, Carlsen made a rare and critical blunder, losing a knight, which Gukesh capitalized on to secure a 3-0 victory in the match.
D Gukesh lost twice against Magnus Carlsen earlier but won the third classical game against him at the Norway Chess 2025 tournament. Magnus Carlsen had defeated Gukesh multiple times earlier in the year, including in the opening round of the Norway Chess tournament.
The victory was significant as Gukesh, at 19 years old, is the reigning classical world champion and had made history the previous year by becoming the youngest world champion at 18. Despite the win, Gukesh humbly described it as a “lucky day” and admitted that normally he would have lost the game.
Carlsen’s reaction to the loss was unusual and widely noted: he slammed his fist on the table in frustration, causing chess pieces to scatter, before quickly shaking hands with Gukesh and apologizing for his outburst. This reaction was uncharacteristic of Carlsen, who is known for his composure during matches.
This victory further cemented Gukesh’s reputation as a rising force in the chess world, while Carlsen, despite the loss, remained in the lead in the tournament standings. The match was widely discussed as a “turnaround of the year” due to Gukesh’s resilience and ability to win from a difficult position.
