Grandmaster D Gukesh delivered a blow to Magnus Carlsen's campaign at Norway Chess on Sunday, June 1. The 19-year-old grandmaster seized victory in Round 6, after a late blunder by former world champion Carlsen. The turnaround saw Carlsen react with visible anger, thumping the board before exiting the playing hall abruptly.
The match unfolded with Carlsen, playing with black, gradually building what seemed to be a commanding position. But as the game progressed, the tide began to shift. Carlsen, known for his composure and near-flawless execution in classical chess, faltered under time pressure, allowing Gukesh to claw his way back into the game.
The moment of collapse was dramatic. Upon realising his costly error, Carlsen struck the board with his fist, hastily shook Gukesh's hand, and exited the playing hall visibly agitated.
Watch the video here:
OH MY GOD 😳🤯😲 pic.twitter.com/QSbbrvQFkE
June 1, 2025Gukesh sat momentarily frozen, and then got up from his seat and wandered around, still processing the win.
Take A Look At Gukesh's Reaction:
WHAT JUST HAPPENED? 😱🫣 pic.twitter.com/RwBqhfU0gv
June 1, 2025D Gukesh capitalised on a blunder by Magnus Carlsen to clinch his first victory in a classical game against the former world champion. He also became the second Indian after R Praggnanandhaa to beat Carlsen in this tournament.
After the match, Gukesh acknowledged that his position had been almost hopeless. “It was just clearly lost. So I was just trying to make moves which were kind of tricky for him,” Gukesh was quoted as saying by Sportstar. He admitted that in most cases, he would have lost, describing his victory as a fortunate outcome. “Yeah, just a lucky day,” he added.
Former chess world champion Susan Polgar described this as one of the biggest shocks in recent memory. “Carlsen outplayed Gukesh, made a massive blunder to lose a winning game! This is the biggest shock of the year! Carlsen rarely loses in classical chess, and he rarely commits big blunders,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter). She added that both players were under time pressure when Carlsen's advantage slipped away. “This has to be one of the most painful losses in his spectacular career. I am sure he is very angry with himself.”
Carlsen outplayed Gukesh, made massive blunder to lose a winning game!
June 1, 2025
This is the biggest shock of the year! Carlsen rarely loses in classical chess, and he rarely commits big blunders. He was playing so well with the black pieces in round 6 in Norway against Gukesh. He had a… pic.twitter.com/vwwPwEdMqZLast week, Gukesh was defeated by Carlsen in the opening round. After that victory, Carlsen took to X to share a meme featuring a well-known quote from the US TV series, The Wire, “When you come for the king, you best not miss.”
A great quote from The Wire pic.twitter.com/z9fBOdbtMd
May 26, 2025Now, Gukesh's victory on Sunday has shifted the dynamics of the tournament leaderboard as the event moves into its final stages. With this win, Gukesh climbs to third place with 8.5 points, just one point shy of co-leaders Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.
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