Stavanger (Norway): World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen added another accolade to his legendary career by winning the Norway Chess 2025 title in his hometown of Stavanger on Friday. The five-time World Champion secured the crown after a dramatic final round that saw his closest challenger, reigning World Champion D. Gukesh, falter at the last hurdle.
Carlsen, playing with white, was held to a draw by India’s rising star Arjun Erigaisi in the final classical game. While the result kept the door slightly ajar for Gukesh, the young Indian prodigy needed a win against American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana to catch up with Carlsen on the leaderboard.
However, under immense pressure, Gukesh blundered in a balanced position, losing the game on the spot and with it, his chance at winning the title.
Gukesh blundered his queen promotion move with just two seconds left on the clock, resigning on the spot in his final-round clash against Fabiano Caruana.
The costly slip not only ended Gukesh’s hopes of overtaking Magnus Carlsen on the leaderboard but also handed the Norway Chess 2025 title to the World No. 1, who had earlier drawn his classical game against Erigaisi.
The victory marks Carlsen’s sixth triumph at his home event and serves as a reminder of his enduring dominance in the classical format, despite stepping back from World Championship competition. He finished with 16 points, half a point ahead of Caruana, who capitalised on Gukesh’s error to leap into second place with 15.5 points.
Gukesh, who has had a phenomenal year as the reigning World Champion, had to settle for third with 14.5 points.
Earlier, in a thrilling Round 9 encounter, the youngest-ever Chess World Champion defeated China’s formidable Wei Yi, climbing to 14.5 points and narrowing the gap between him and tournament leader Magnus Carlsen to just half a point.
In the women’s section, it was Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk who emerged victorious in a tightly contested finale. Muzychuk, needing only a draw in her final classical round against India’s R. Vaishali, played with calculated composure to ensure a shared point.
The result left the door open for India’s Koneru Humpy, who needed a win against China’s Ju Wenjun to take the top spot. But Humpy couldn’t convert her chances, and the game ended in a draw.
(IANS)
