Norway, 2 June : World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh delivered a sensational performance in Round 6 of the ongoing Norway Chess 2025, defeating former World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a dramatic turnaround from a losing position on Sunday.

This victory marked Gukesh’s first classical win against the Norwegian legend and made him only the second Indian after Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa to defeat Carlsen in this tournament’s history.

Although Carlsen controlled most of the game, a lapse in the final moments saw the 19-year-old Gukesh seize the opportunity and reverse the outcome with remarkable poise and precision.

With this triumph, Gukesh climbed to third place on the Norway Chess 2025 leaderboard with 8.5 points, just one point behind Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.

Earlier, on May 27, Carlsen had defeated Gukesh in Round 1, marking their first classical encounter since Gukesh became World Champion and Carlsen’s return to individual classical events after a long break.

Reacting to the result, Gukesh’s coach, Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna, lauded his student’s grit and persistence.
“Credit goes to Gukesh for his stubbornness and creativity. He knew he was in a lost position, yet he kept fighting. The lower the time got, the more chances he created. I don’t think he was aiming to win at that point, but I’m sure he’s very pleased,” Prasanna remarked.

The thrilling win adds intensity to the race for the title as the tournament heads into its final rounds.