D Gukesh was left shell-shocked after the Indian staged one of the biggest comeback wins of his career against world No.1 Magnus Carlsen at Norway Chess 2025 on Sunday. At a time when it looked that Carlsen would walk away with three points, the world champion’s took advantage of a massive blunder by the 34-year-old to seal his first classical win against the Norwegian.
Carlsen had his opponent on the ropes for much of the match but his composure cracked under the pressure of a ticking clock and he committed a blunder that handed India’s Gukesh a decisive advantage.
Carlsen slammed his fist on the table after the defeat before exchanging a quick handshake with Gukesh, apologising for his outburst and storming off. The video, which went viral, showed Gukesh was in utter disbelief that he won the game. He immediately left the chair, had his hands on the mouth as he walked a few steps to sink in the moment.
Gukesh then returned to his seat to arrange the chess board in place and do the necessary signatures with the crowd cheering on the background. With this win, D Gukesh jumped to third spot in the Norway Chess 2025 points table with 8.5 points, and now he is just one point behind Carlsen and American Fabiano Caruana.
Gukesh’s reaction to Carlsen’s outbrust
The win also served as a revenge for Gukesh who had lost to Carlsen in the first round. Meanwhile, Gukesh took Carlsen’s outburst in a sporting manner, stating he too have done the same a few times. “I mean, (the win was) not the way I wanted it to be, but okay, I’ll take it,” Gukesh told Chess.com. “… I’ve also banged a lot of tables in my career.”
Gukesh will face compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in the next round.
