‘You come at the king, you best not miss’: Magnus Carlsen after beating Gukesh in nerve-wracking opening round of Norway Chess

Magnus Carlsen once again proved why he is the top player in the world across all formats, defeating world champion D Gukesh of India in the opening round of the Norway Chess to claim three full points on Monday (May 26). This marked Gukesh’s first Classical game against Carlsen since his world championship victory last year in Singapore.

Carlsen attempted to unsettle Gukesh by opting for the rarely-used Jobava London opening, a strategic move designed to throw his opponent off balance. However, world champion Gukesh, playing with the black pieces, remained composed and neutralised Carlsen’s early initiative by the 11th move, even putting the Norwegian under some pressure.

Despite this, Carlsen, a five-time world champion known for his prowess in Rapid, Blitz, and Freestyle formats, showed he hasn’t lost his edge in Classical chess. He secured victory after a hard-fought battle lasting over four hours and 56 moves.

Also Read: Football unites after car ploughs into Liverpool victory parade

Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi, the other Indian contender in the six-player round-robin Open category, impressed in the first round with a dramatic win over China’s top player Wei Yi. After the two agreed to a draw following 54 moves, Erigaisi, playing black, displayed aggressive play to hold the draw and then outpaced his opponent on time in the Armageddon tiebreak.

Also Read: French Open 2025: 'Confident' Djokovic kicks off Slam record attempt

In Armageddon, white is granted 10 minutes while black gets only seven, yet Erigaisi overcame this time disadvantage to secure victory. With this, Erigaisi earned 1.5 points after the opening round, while Wei Yi received one point.

Norway Chess awards three points for a win in Classical format, one point each for a draw, and an additional 0.5 points for a win in Armageddon.