Gukesh Falls to Joint-Fifth; Carlsen Leads Norway Chess with Armageddon Victory

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Last Updated:June 01, 2025, 11:13 IST

D Gukesh fell to joint-fifth as Arjun Erigaisi shocked Hikaru Nakamura to stay fourth in Norway Chess.

Reigning world champion D Gukesh’s challenging run continued as he suffered defeat in an Armageddon tie-break, slipping to joint-fifth place in Norway Chess. Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi upset American world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura to retain his fourth position.

Defending champion Magnus Carlsen maintained his impressive form on Saturday, increasing his points tally to 9.5 after an Armageddon tie-break victory with black pieces against American grandmaster (GM) Fabiano Caruana.

The tournament witnessed compelling action across the board, with all three games in the open category ending in draws, necessitating Armageddon tie-breaks to determine the winners.

In a match of fluctuating fortunes, Chinese GM Wei Yi held a winning position in the middlegame, while Gukesh, playing with black, gained the upper hand in the endgame. However, after considerable uncertainty, the classical game concluded in a stalemate.

Wei, who had previously defeated both Carlsen and Nakamura in Armageddon games, secured his third tie-break win as Gukesh struggled to reverse his fortunes.

The Chinese player acknowledged a missed opportunity to outmanoeuvre Gukesh in the classical game, which would have earned him three full points instead of 1.5.

“I hope I can win in a Classical game. But I missed a great chance today, I think," said Wei.

Nakamura observed that Gukesh’s aggressive opening strategy with black against Wei likely contributed to his difficulties in the classical game. Ultimately, the world champion came close to securing victory, but a draw was a fair result.

Erigaisi employed an unconventional approach in the Slav Defence to surprise Nakamura, but the American was prepared for the move. Despite having a strong winning opportunity, Nakamura faltered, and the game ended in a draw.

The Armageddon tie-break also proved disappointing for Nakamura, who held a winning position until a hasty move, despite having three minutes remaining on the clock, surrendered the initiative.

With his Armageddon win against Caruana, Carlsen leads the standings with 9.5 points. Caruana is a close second with 8 points, while Nakamura has 6.5.

In the women’s section, two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy took the lead with 8.5 points after a tie-break win against China’s Lei Tingjie. Meanwhile, R Vaishali secured a decisive victory against Iranian-Spanish player Sara Khadem, earning three points and moving to fourth place with 6.5 points.

Vaishali, who climbed out of last place with her three points, said, “This win feels good. The first few games did not go my way. I hope I’ll have a good tournament from here on."

Norway Chess Results

Open: Fabiano Caruana (USA – 8) lost to Magnus Carlsen (Nor – 9.5) in Armageddon; Wei Yi (Chn 5.5) beat D Gukesh (Ind – 5.5) in Armageddon; Arjun Erigaisi (Ind – 6) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA – 6.5) in Armageddon.

Women: Sara Khadem (Esp – 5) lost to R Vaishali (Ind – 6.5), Koneru Humpy (Ind – 8.5) bt Lei Tingjie (Chn – 5) in Armageddon; Anna Muzychuk (Ukr 8) lost to Ju Wenjun (Chn – 7) in Armageddon.

(With inputs from PTI)

Ritayan Basu

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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