D Gukesh Set To Face Magnus Carlsen In Norway Chess 2025

The chess world is gearing up for an exciting showdown as World Champion D. Gukesh faces Magnus Carlsen at the Norway Chess tournament next year. The much-awaited event will be held in Stavanger, Norway, from May 26 to June 6, 2025. The much-awaited clash promises to be a must-watch for chess fans worldwide.

Gukesh Dommaraju, the 18-year-old chess prodigy, has had an incredible year, cementing his place as a top player in world chess. He started by winning the prestigious Tata Steel Masters, then he led India to gold at the Chess Olympiad, dominated the Candidates Tournament, and he has now finally claimed the World Chess Championship title in Singapore.

D Gukesh vs Magnus Carlsen

Reflecting on his upcoming challenge, Gukesh expressed his excitement: “I’m excited to face the strongest players in the world again in Norway, and also the Armageddons will be fun.”

In 2023, Gukesh finished third in Stavanger, but this time he returns as World Champion, ready to take on the best, including Carlsen.

For Carlsen, who reigned as World Champion for over a decade before stepping down, the match with Gukesh is significant. Playing on home turf in Norway, his experience and familiarity with the Norway Chess format could be an advantage.

Kjell Madland, the founder and tournament director of Norway Chess, highlighted the significance of this matchup:

“This matchup is truly unique, and it’s thrilling to see the World Champion face off against the world’s highest-rated player. The whole world will be watching, and we’re proud to host such an incredible event.”

Norway Chess is one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments, featuring a double round-robin format with six top players, including both male and female stars. It stands out for its unique tie-break system, which includes exciting Armageddon games.

Magnus Carlsen’s Praise for D Gukesh’s Achievement

The 18-year-old Gukesh defeated reigning champion Ding Liren in the final round on Thursday to become only the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to win the prestigious title.

“It’s an incredible achievement (by Gukesh), first he was down in the FIDE circuit, won the tournament in Chennai on demand, then he had an amazing performance in the Candidates tournament,” said Carlsen on a popular recap stream, analysing the match.

Carlsen mentioned that he was somewhat surprised by how the match played out, as many of the games ended in a draw.

“This was something that was bit unexpected, a lot of us thought that Gukesh was a favourite to win the match but this was a game that never really took off, Gukesh was doing a great job of keeping the position alive and suddenly it was all over,” Carlsen said.

“It’s a really good thing for him, he has the title now for two years, winning this championship is extremely motivating so there is a very good chance that he is going to go for a great run of results now and probably become the number two player now and may be number one in the not so distant future,” he noted.

 

Earlier, at the press conference after the event, Gukesh said he would love to play a match against Carlsen someday. The Norwegian star, who won the World Championship in 2013, chose not to defend his title in 2023.

“Winning World Chess Championship does not mean I am the best player, obviously that is Magnus Carlsen. I want to reach the level Magnus has achieved,” Gukesh said.

“Obviously playing against Magnus in the world championship would be amazing, it would be the toughest challenge there is in chess. It is up to Magnus, but I would love to test myself against the best player in the world.”

But Carlsen ruled that out. “I am not part of this circus anymore,” said Carlsen in a general reference to world title clashes.

Furthermore, Carlsen also praised Gukesh‘s team, saying they did a great job.

“It is becoming progressively harder (to play mainstream openings) all main lines are analysed so they had to jump a bit,” Carlsen said of the opening choices made by Gukesh.

“I have generally kept it fairly risk-free with the white pieces, I have tried not to let things go out of control,” he added.

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