Norway Chess: Arjun Beats Gukesh, World Champion Suffers Second Successive Loss

Last Updated:May 28, 2025, 07:11 IST

World champion D Gukesh lost to Arjun Erigaisi. Erigaisi his second consecutive encounter at the Norway Chess.

Norway Chess: Arjun Erigaisi beat D Gukesh (X)

World champion D Gukesh’s challenging season continued on Tuesday as the teenager lost his second consecutive match in Norway Chess, this time to fellow countryman Arjun Erigaisi, leaving him scoreless after two rounds of the prestigious tournament.

A day after a thrilling loss to Magnus Carlsen, Gukesh faced difficulties against Erigaisi from the start, making mistakes as time pressure mounted.

Erigaisi ultimately secured victory over Gukesh in 62 moves, forcing his opponent to resign after delivering a decisive check with his knight.

This marks the second major tournament loss for Gukesh to Erigaisi this year, just days before Gukesh’s 19th birthday on Thursday.

Erigaisi, in contrast, has proven his worth in Norway Chess by defeating China’s top player Wei Yi in Armageddon in the opening round and then overcoming Gukesh in a match that lasted over four hours.

Earlier this year, Erigaisi also defeated Gukesh at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, disrupting Gukesh’s chances of winning the elite competition. In their latest match, Erigaisi chose a d4 (Queen’s Pawn opening), while Gukesh, playing with black, responded with a Nimzo-Indian Defence.

Following his defeat to Carlsen, Gukesh found himself under time pressure by the 17th move, trailing Erigaisi by 1 hour and 20 minutes. By the 44th move, Gukesh had only a few seconds left on the clock, while Erigaisi had more than 10 minutes, significantly increasing the pressure on the world champion.

On Wednesday, Gukesh is set to play against American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, while Erigaisi, with 4.5 points after two games, will face another American, Fabiano Caruana.

(With inputs from PTI)

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News sports Norway Chess: Arjun Beats Gukesh, World Champion Suffers Second Successive Loss