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Norway Chess Tournament 2025: D Gukesh, after his win against Magnus Carlsen, secured his first classical victory over Arjun Erigaisi.
D Gukesh at Norway Chess (X)
World Champion D Gukesh secured his first classical victory over fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi in a dramatic seventh-round match at the Norway Chess tournament on Monday. This win came from a position initially deemed almost hopeless.
This remarkable victory followed Gukesh’s triumph over World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, marking his first classical chess win against him. These consecutive wins propelled the 17-year-old Indian prodigy above Carlsen in the standings, placing him second behind Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Wei Yi in his match.
ALSO WATCH | D Gukesh Stuns Magnus Carlsen; World No. 1 Slams Table In Frustration
The clash between the two Indian talents lived up to expectations. Erigaisi gained an early advantage, navigating the opening into a sharp and complex middlegame where he outplayed Gukesh and appeared poised for victory. A critical mistake by Gukesh left him with a material deficit and a compromised position, leading many analysts to consider his situation “nearly lost”.
However, Gukesh demonstrated resilience and tactical brilliance. Under intensifying pressure, he gradually clawed his way back into the game with precise calculations and a calm defence. In a remarkable turnaround, he neutralised Erigaisi’s advantage and seized control.
As time pressure mounted, Erigaisi made just enough errors for Gukesh to capitalise on an opportunity, which he exploited flawlessly. After intense play, Erigaisi resigned.
This win represents a personal milestone for Gukesh and reinforces his reputation as one of the fiercest competitors in international chess. Social media was abuzz with celebratory comments, with fans praising the performance as “a masterclass in resilience”.
Reflecting on his match, Gukesh said, “I felt like I was losing control at some point and gradually getting outplayed. From the opening, nothing was going my way, but once I reached that position, I had to keep making moves to avoid immediate loss. In time scrambles, things can happen.”
Gukesh’s Polish coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, analysed the game and noted that it might not have been the reigning world champion’s best game, but he was pleased that Gukesh managed to succeed. “Probably not his best game ever, at least not the first half, but definitely a very good second half, so I’m happy with that.”
When asked if the win on Monday was influenced by a change in mindset after Gukesh’s comeback victory against Carlsen on Sunday, Gajewski explained, “When you’re in such trouble as in Sunday’s game and you keep fighting and get rewarded for it, you gain even more faith that it makes sense to keep fighting. So, the very next day against Erigaisi, when you’re again in trouble, you know what to do – just keep fighting.”
Gajewski added that Gukesh’s pursuit of perfect games with minimal errors was contributing to his success. “He’s demanding the very highest level of accuracy and precision from his opponents, and if they’re not up to it, they might mess up the position, even if they’re number one in the world.”
Regarding whether the win against Erigaisi was more significant than the victory over Carlsen, given that Gukesh had never beaten his Indian counterpart in classical chess before, the coach said, “Yes, definitely, Erigaisi is a very difficult opponent to beat, but I wouldn’t compare the two games. You have to achieve a lot to be compared with Magnus in any regard. For Monday’s game, Gukesh was just focused. It was nice to beat Carlsen yesterday, but today is a new challenge, and after that, there is another challenge.”
Gajewski concluded, “Gukesh was just making moves; he was completely in the zone from the first move to the last. His extraordinary calculation abilities, combined with his fighting spirit, help him defend so many positions.”
ALSO READ | ‘He Really Fights Well’, Acknowledges Magnus Carlsen After Defeat To Gukesh
Magnus Carlsen bounced back after his defeat to Gukesh by beating Hikaru Nakamura.
In the women’s section, Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk defeated two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy in an Armageddon tie-break, while GM R. Vaishali lost her composure in time trouble against China’s Lei Tingjie. Ju Wenjun leads the table with 11.5 points, followed by Muzychuk with 11 points in second, and Humpy in third with 10.5 points.
Round 7 Results
Open: D Gukesh (Ind – 11.5 points) bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind – 7.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA – 12.5) bt Wei Yi (Chn – 6.5); Magnus Carlsen (Nor – 11) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA – 8.5) in Armageddon tie-break.
Women: Lei Tingjie (Chn – 9) bt R Vaishali (Ind – 8); Ju Wenjun (Chn – 11.5 points) bt Sara Khadem (Esp – 6); Koneru Humpy (Ind – 10.5) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr – 11) in Armageddon tie-break.
Norway Chess Leaderboard –
- Caruana – 12.5
- Gukesh – 11.5
- Magnus – 11
- Hikaru – 8.5
- Arjun – 7.5
- Wei Yi – 6.5
(With inputs from Agencies)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket, having cov… Read More
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