At Norway Chess 2025 on Monday, June 2, Indian grandmaster D Gukesh achieved his first-ever classical chess win against the world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Just a few days earlier, Carlsen, a five-time world champion, had beaten the 19-year-old in the opening round. But Gukesh did not let that defeat hold him back. In round six, he was in a difficult position but managed to turn things around and win in 62 moves, earning three important points.
Near the end of the game, Carlsen became visibly upset when Gukesh took control. In a moment of frustration, the Norwegian slammed his hand on the table. The commentators were shocked, and a video of Carlsen’s reaction spread quickly on social media. After that, Carlsen gave Gukesh a quick handshake, then calmly began putting the pieces back in their starting positions.
Gukesh stayed calm and took the incident in good spirit. “I have also banged a lot of tables in my career,” he told Chess.com. “It was not the way I wanted it to be, but okay, I will take it.”
This victory moved Gukesh into third place in the tournament with 8.5 points. He was now just behind Carlsen and American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana. Before this game, Gukesh looked nearly defeated, but his strong play and determination helped him slip past Carlsen.
Gukesh’s coach, Polish grandmaster Grzegorz Gajewski, said this win would give him “a huge pump of confidence” for future games against Carlsen. When asked if other Indian players would feel encouraged by Gukesh’s success, Gajewski agreed. He said that once players know Carlsen can be beaten, they will believe they can do it too. Gukesh’s comeback is not just a big moment for him—it shows that even the best players can be challenged when you keep fighting.
