Norway Chess 2025 Highlights: Magnus Carlsen wins Norway event after Gukesh blunders vs Caruana; Muzychuk clinches women’s title

Magnus: "Gukesh showed in this tournament he's on track, he's doing fantastic, but he's not ahead of track"

Asked if someone organised a classical chess game between World Champion #Gukesh and himself, would he be up for it, #MagnusCarlsen thinks long and hard before saying, "If I wanted thay I would still be playing classical #chess." pic.twitter.com/dFRFrZ1uaV

— Amit Kamath (@jestalt) June 6, 2025

1. Magnus Carlsen - 16
2. Fabiano Caruana - 15.5
3. Gukesh Dommaraju - 14.5
4. Hikaru Nakamura - 14
5. Arjun Erigaisi - 13
6. Wei Yi - 9.5

1. Anna Muzychuk - 16.5
2. Lei Tingjie - 16
3. Humpy Koneru - 15
4. Ju Wenjun - 13.5
5. Vaishali Rameshbabu - 11
6. Sara Khadem - 9

Caught the score of the game, #MagnusCarlsen said after the draw against Arjun Erigaisi in final round of #NorwayChess. He meant the score of the Norway ?? vs Italy ?? football game. @chess24com broadcast has the football game on for him. pic.twitter.com/ZOB6VLKOqK

— Amit Kamath (@jestalt) June 6, 2025

A sweet moment to cap off a great @NorwayChess tournament for the #Carlsen family: #MagnusCarlsen's wife Ella being asked to autograph #chess boards by three little girls.#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/4ClW0D1tjN

— Amit Kamath (@jestalt) June 6, 2025

'I had to fight for my life!'
- @MagnusCarlsen wins the 2025 Norway Chess! ??? pic.twitter.com/Rdq5kqRN0z

— Take Take Take (@TakeTakeTakeApp) June 6, 2025

Classical door still open for Carlsen?

#Breaking

Asked if he was going to keep playing classical #chess, #MagnusCarlsen said: “Not a lot for sure. I’m not going to say this tournament was my last. I enjoy other forms of chess more.”

So Carlsen keeps door open to playing classical. pic.twitter.com/Hk7WCCF5p0

— Amit Kamath (@jestalt) June 6, 2025

In one of the most dramatic days at Norway Chess — where the momentum changed direction as quickly as the weather changes its mood in Stavanger — Magnus Carlsen won the Norway Chess 2025 title, pipping world champion Gukesh and Fabiano Caruana to the finish line. A draw against Arjun Erigaisi was enough for the world no 1 to claim his seventh Norway Chess title, while Gukesh lost to Caruana, which meant he ended third in the standings.

“It’s a huge relief after a day like this and in a tournament like this. My struggles have been well documented here. At least I fought till the end, I’m happy with that,” Carlsen told Take Take Take.

Arjun delivers a checkmate against Carlsen in their Armageddon game, but it won't matter much as a happy and relieved Carlsen heads out of the playing hall, clinching the 7th Norway Chess title. However, a much-needed win for Arjun here, who ends his campaign on a high, beating the greatest player of this generation. 

Magnus Carlsen, who was recently signed by a leading E-sport organisation Team Liquid, posted "One for the Team Norway" on X after his Norway Chess title win.

One for the team??

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) June 6, 2025

The moment when Gukesh blundered his queen promotion move and lost on the spot. This meant Magnus Carlsen won the Norway Chess even after drawing his classical game against Arjun. What a story.

Absolute heartbreak for Gukesh as he'd rescued a draw against Caruana only to blunder at the very end!#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/ruCepSQNEH

— chess24 (@chess24com) June 6, 2025

Gukesh blunders with just two seconds left on the clock, and he resigns on the spot, which means Magnus Carlsen is the Norway Chess champion! Would you believe it?

Arjun moved his queen to b4 which is a clear mistake, inviting black's knight for attack. The tables have turned and it's Carlsen who has the momentum with him.

After Arjun's h2, Carlsen had to play knight to g5, the best move in this position, which would have given him the edge in this position. Instead, he played king to g7, not the best move, but neither the worst move in this position. The position is very complicated now. 

Meanwhile, we have a result coming in. Wei Yi holds Hikaru Nakamura, denying him the opportunity to fight for the top spot, which means the race for the Norway Chess title is not between Carlsen, Caruana, and Gukesh. 

Oh dear god, Arjun misplaces his king on h2, which instantly neutralises the position. And with this, Arjun's almost winning chance fizzles out. 

Carlsen had an almost equal position according to strong computers, but not after 29...Ne6?, when it seems Arjun is winning again! https://t.co/fquVfcwiQz#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/Xra3nVC0cz

— chess24 (@chess24com) June 6, 2025

Anna Muzychuk, winner of the Norway Chess Women, was on a phone call when the game between Humpy Koneru and women’s world championship Ju Wenjun ended in a draw, thus securing her title.

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

All smiles in the family as Vaishali Rameshbabu signs off from the Norway Chess 2025 tournament with a win in Armageddon over Anna Muzychuk, who went on to win the title. Nagalakshmi could not stop grinning as she was interviewed by the official broadcaster with her daughter translating from Tamil.

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

Humpy's hopes of winning the Norway Chess ended after she agreed to a draw via threefold repetition against Ju Wenjun. The position was hopeless for a win for Wenjun as she had two less pawns, but the experienced Chinese held her fort well against the Veteran Indian.

Happy Anish!

Important day for me personally. If Hikaru holds Wei Yi and Carlsen retires, I will re-enter the top 10.?

— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) June 6, 2025

An ambitious queen sack by Magnus Carlsen against Arjun. He has two knights, a rook and one extra pawn for Arjun's queen and knight. The position still favours the Indian, but the Norwegian has a good chance to defend this position by building a pawn fortress for his king. 

Vaishali scrapes her way for a draw, ensuring her compatriot Humpy can still catch her in the standings with a classical win over Wenjun. It's still open for Humpy but a far cry looking at her position vs the Women's World Champion which appear to be drawish in nature. 

Magnus regrets not preventing what happened in the game, admits suffering "a cold shower", but concludes: "So I'm a little lucky that I'm not just losing on the spot, and since I'm not, or I'm pretty sure I'm not, the game goes on, and it's actually very interesting!"

Magnus regrets not preventing what happened in the game, admits suffering "a cold shower", but concludes: "So I'm a little lucky that I'm not just losing on the spot, and since I'm not, or I'm pretty sure I'm not, the game goes on, and it's actually very interesting!" pic.twitter.com/9kgaLhei2n

— chess24 (@chess24com) June 6, 2025

A favourable position for Arjun against Magnus at the moment. 

Vaishali draws her round with tournament leader Anna Muzychuk with a three-fold repetition and the duo move to Armageddon. 

Currently the top 3 in #NorwayChess are struggling against the bottom 3! pic.twitter.com/sSv4qKduPL

— chess24 (@chess24com) June 6, 2025

Hikaru: "Gukesh is going ALL IN against Fabiano... It is definitely an all-in attempt to try to win the game. Expect BIG FIREWORKS between Fabiano and Gukesh; it is the game to keep an eye on more than anything else right now."

Magnus misplaces his knight to f6 in the 17th move which seems to be a positional mistake from the World No. 1. 

"Magnus is not losing this, but definitely worse in this variation," says GM David Howell. 

Board credit: Chess.com

• – For Gukesh to win the title, he has to better whatever result Carlsen manages against Arjun.
• – If Carlsen beats Arjun outright, the three points will be enough for the world No. 1 to clinch the title. No other results matter.
• – If Gukesh beats Caruana for 3 points, then only an outright win for Carlsen against Arjun will help the Norwegian.
• – If Gukesh draws classical, he has to hope Carlsen loses in classical against Arjun.
• – If Gukesh draws in the classical game & wins in Armageddon and Carlsen draws in the classical game & loses in Armageddon, Gukesh and Carlsen will be tied on 15 points each.
• – Of course, Caruana and Nakamura are not out of the picture either, but both Americans need 3 points to have any say in the final equation.

Here's what Magnus Carlsen had told Chess24 last night when asked how he was going to prepare for game against Arjun Erigaisi? 

"It's hard to say. Playing Arjun is a little bit like playing Ivanchuk back in the day. It's just somebody who doesn't really play for for a lot of draws. Just is out to get you. So playing black, I'm sure will we'll get some sort of complicated game and I'll try and do my best from there. Arjun will always want to fight. So I am prepared for a fight for sure," Carlsen had said.

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

1. d4 d5

2. c4 e6

3. Nc3 Nf6

4. cxd5 exd5

5. Bg5 Be7

6. e3 O-O

7. Bd3 h6

8. Bh4 c6

9. Nge2 Nbd7

10. O-O a5

Henrik Carlsen on why his son Magnus keeps coming to Norway Chess year after year for 13 editions: "To be honest, my take is that initially this was a bit of an obligation for him. Because it's a top-level event taking place in Norway, I have to compete. And then for some years, it was really turned upside down, where he felt that, 'oh, I really hope they continue to do this. It's so important to have somewhere in Norway where I can play and be part of the top chess circus, more or less at the home turf, basically.'

"And now maybe that part is not so important anymore. Because he's traveling all over the world and also playing from home a lot for online tournaments. So the setting has changed a little bit. So I think for him personally, this tournament was even more important a few years ago," Henrik had told Indian media in Stavanger a few days back.

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

Magnus Carlsen had said that he would take a call on his future in the classical format after the ongoing Norway Chess. 

Henrik Carlsen, in an interview with Indian media, had spoken about why the world no 1 is important for the tournament. 

"When you have one player who's outstanding compared to the others in a country, especially when you have someone that has been the top player in the world for some time, it's of course utmost important for the organizer to have him on board. Maybe they would have continued for a year or two without Magnus, I don't know. But the tradition itself, I think, is currently linked with Magnus very much. And it makes sense," Henrik said.

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

Something special is brewing in Humpy vs Wenjun game. Both legends of the game are already heading to the endgame, blitzing moves through the opening and middlegame phase. The queens are off the board, and we can expect a long battle on this board. 

Board credit: Lichess

Mrs Carlsen, Ella, has made it clear who she is supporting today. "May the hottest player win," she says on her Instagram Stories.

- Amit Kamath

"The Black Knight move 3... Nf6 announces the Two Knights; this aggressive defence results in open and often complex play. David Bronstein suggested that the term "Chigorin's Counterattack" would be more appropriate and this is certainly borne out with current theory. The Two Knights has been adopted as Black by many aggressive players including Chigorin and Keres, and World Champions Tal and Boris Spassky."

- Lichess

Gukesh and Caruana have decided to play the Two Knights Defense of the Italian Game. Gukesh has the dark pieces in this round. In the fourth round, it was the Indian who beat Caruana to have a psychological advantage. 

World champion D. Gukesh and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen walk into the playing hall at different speeds...

World champion #Gukesh and world no 1 #MagnusCarlsen walk into the playing hall at different speeds...https://t.co/2bnlH7k3pa pic.twitter.com/ycrvh3OiSu

— Amit Kamath (@jestalt) June 6, 2025

1. e4 e5

2. Nf3 Nc6

3. Bc4 Nf6

4. d3 h6

5. a3 g6

6. Nc3 Bg7

7. h3 d6

8. Be3 a6

9. Qd2 Be6

10. Bxe6 fxe6

Here's Magnus Carlsen making an appearance for final round at Norway Chess. Obliging autograph hunters, and selfie seekers even though there's 2 mins left for game time.

Here's #MagnusCarlsen making an appearance for final round at #NorwayChess. Obliging autograph hunters, and selfie seekers even though there's 2 mins left for game time https://t.co/2bnlH7k3pa pic.twitter.com/y28oQ9ItoC

— Amit Kamath (@jestalt) June 6, 2025

How popular is #chess in Norway? Here's people standing in line to get into the playing hall, which is currently at full capacity as the first few moves are made on all 6 boards. Incredible.#NorwayChess

Follow our blog:https://t.co/2bnlH7k3pa pic.twitter.com/8FDFGlHahW

— Amit Kamath (@jestalt) June 6, 2025

My colleague Amit Kamath, who is reporting from Stavanger in Norway, pings, "Early drama before the action. 

"Team Carlsen arrives, two minutes before the start. Father Henrik and longtime trainer Peter Heine Nielsen have walked past the gaggle of autograph seekers and selfie askers at a leisurely pace. Carlsen, meanwhile, is obliging most fans for things. We are just two minutes away from the start. But Magnus is in no rush. His wife Ella too walks ahead as a circle of fans surrounds the world no 1. And right then, Gukesh arrives from behind, power walking his way past everyone. Then Magnus realises he needs to make a move as well. Right then, there's a little bang hears from the other side of the street. There werr a couple of cars there, slowing down. Not sure what was about because no one has eyes for anything other than the crown prince and the king of chess."

The first Indian player in the field, Humpy Koneru, is here. And she's offering interviews next to Anna Muzychuk. Both players are the top two in the standings ahead of today's game. 

Humpy Koneru, who has 13.5 points will face women's world champion Ju Wenjun (12.5) in the final round. 
Leader Anna Muzychuk (15.5) faces Vaishali. So Humpy will need a favour -- a big one -- from her compatriot today.

In the final game in Norway Chess Women, Sara Khadem takes on Lei Tingjie (who also has a chance with 13 points).

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

And here are Sara Khadem, the only IM in the field across the open and women’s sections and Anna Muzychuk making an entrance.

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

Players start arriving at the Finnensparken for the final round. The first ones to arrive are Hikaru Nakamura and women’s world chess champion Ju Wenjun. Long line already forming outside to get in.

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

As evident by now, the Norway Chess Tournament is a double round-robin event featuring classical games, and if that ends in a tie, Armageddon comes into play as a tiebreaker.

• Outright win in the classical game: 3 points
• Outright loss in the classical game: 0 points
• Draw in the classical game & win in Armageddon: 1.5 points
• Draw in the classical game & loss in Armageddon: 1 point

The final day of Norway Chess 2025 will see a Gukesh versus Magnus Carlsen battle once again: the reigning world champion from India and the world no 1 from Norway will battle for the title when the final round is played on Friday after both players won their classical games on Thursday. While Carlsen took down previous leader Fabiano Caruana to pocket three points, Gukesh stayed within half a point of new leader Carlsen after defeating Wei Yi.

Carlsen, though, shrugged off the significance of winning the Norway Chess title.

Some important news from Stavanger. On the morning of the most decisive day at Norway Chess, Magnus Carlsen, who leads the standings by just half a point against world champion Gukesh, has been golfing. This is not unusual. The former world champion of chess spends plenty of time teeing away with his second Peter Heine Nielsen. He was spotted travelling to a golf club at least twice at the ongoing Norway Chess tournament: both incidentally games against reigning world champion Gukesh. 

As his father Henrik Carlsen had told Indian media a few days back in Stavanger: "He likes golf these days a lot. He follows football very closely. NBA he follows also very closely, yes. But chess is his life, basically. And it's been very kind to him, chess."

Amit Kamath from Stavanger, Norway

1. Anna Muzychuk – 15.5
2. Humpy Koneru – 13.5
3. Lei Tingjie – 13
4. Ju Wenjun – 12.5
5. Vaishali Rameshbabu – 9.5
6. Sara Khadem – 9

1. Magnus Carlsen – 15
2. Gukesh Dommaraju – 14.5
3. Hikaru Nakamura – 13
4. Fabiano Caruana – 12.5
5. Arjun Erigaisi – 11.5
6. Wei Yi – 8

Open Section:

• Arjun Erigaisi vs Magnus Carlsen
• Fabiano Caruana vs D Gukesh
• Wei Yi vs Hikaru Nakamura

Women's Section:

• Ju Wenjun vs Koneru Humpy
• Lei Tingjie vs Sara Khadem
• R. Vaishali vs Anna Muzychuk 

Hello and welcome to our live blog of Norway Chess 2025, where India's D. Gukesh will take on USA's Fabiano Caruana in the final round in hope to win the event. Stay tuned as we bring you all the live action from the event.