Latest news with #2025NorwayChess
The Hindu
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Magnus Carlsen on taking on Gukesh at GCT Zagreb: I will approach it as if I am playing a weaker player
Magnus Carlsen has said that he will approach his upcoming match against Indian world champion D Gukesh as if he is coming up against 'one of the presumably weaker players.' 'I think Gukesh played quite well here last time, but it remains to be proven that he's one of the best players in this format,' said the Norwegian in the buildup to the pair's showdown at the Global Chess Tour, Rapid and Blitz tournament in Zagreb. READ ALSO: GCT 2025, Zagreb: Gukesh in four-way lead with Carlsen, So and Duda after opening day 'We have a very, very strong field…Gukesh hasn't done anything to [show] that he's going to do well in such a tournament. I hope, for his sake, that he can do better. But playing him in this tournament, I will approach it as if I'm playing one of the presumably weaker players (in the tournament),' Carlsen further added. The former world champion also named Alireza Firouzja as a 'clear second favourite' in the competition. Carlsen and Gukesh will meet thrice in Zagreb, once in rapid and twice in blitz. The first of these will be on July 3, marking the first time the two will face after their well-publicised meeting at the 2025 Norway Chess, where the Indian claimed a stunning victory.
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First Post
26-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
D Gukesh reflects on Norway Chess campaign: 'Can't say happy, but there are some things...'
Despite starting his campaign with back-to-back defeats, reigning world champion D Gukesh bounced back in style at the 2025 Norway Chess, where he pulled off a stunning victory over Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 and was among the title contenders until the final round. read more After a series of underwhelming performances following his runner-up finish at the Tata Steel Chess, reigning world champion D Gukesh returned to form at the Norway Chess, where he was among the contenders for the trophy until the final round. Though he did not win the tournament, with world No 1 Magnus Carlsen successfully defending his title and being crowned champion for the seventh time, Gukesh highlighted the fact that he did not become world champion by accident, and that he deserved to be counted among the sport's elite. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh finished third in the tournament with a total of 14.5 points, behind Carlsen (16) and Fabiano Caruana (15.5). And the key takeaway from the tournament was his victories over Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Arjun Erigaisi - the world's top three players as per the latest FIDE ratings. When asked to describe his Norway Chess 2025 campaign, the Chennai lad, who turned 19 during the tournament, described it as something of a mixed bag. 'Can't say happy, but there are some things to be happy about, some things to be really unhappy about,' Gukesh said in an interview with ChessBase India. 'One thing is starting so badly and finishing so well. In the final round, I had fair chances to win. Starting with two losses in a tournament like this, it's not great. Another thing to be happy about is, in general, when I am in good form, like everything just goes very smoothly, like in Candidates, Olympiad, when I am in my best form, things just happen naturally. 'But sometimes, in tournaments when I am not feeling at my best, it goes shakily. In this tournament, clearly I was not nowhere close to my best. You don't really control your form. It just comes and goes,' he added. The teenager had arrived in Stavanger, where the tournament took place, after an underwhelming run in the Weissenhaus and Paris legs of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour as well as in Superbet Chess Classic Romania, a Classical event in Bucharest where he finished ninth out of 10 competitors. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Things got worse for him after he began his campaign in Norway with back-to-back losses, against Carlsen and Arjun. Gukesh, however, bounced back with a victory over Hikaru in the third round followed by an Armageddon win against Caruana. The highlight of his campaign, as well as of the tournament, itself, was his sixth-round victory over Carlsen , in which he forced the iconic player to resign in 62 despite facing a second consecutive defeat at one stage. It was the first time Gukesh defeated Carlsen in his career, and he became only the second Indian after R Praggnanandhaa to achieve the feat. OH MY GOD 😳🤯😲 — Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 1, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Despite being shaken by the defeat, which Carlsen later revealed made him feel 'washed and useless' , the Norwegian went on to win the tournament despite being held to a draw by Arjun in the final round and losing the subsequent Armageddon game. Magnus finishes second or third even on his bad days Gukesh, for one, felt that Carlsen tends to finish among the top three even on his bad days. 'One thing about Magnus is that even when he is in bad form, he finishes second or third maximum. So one thing that I can be happy about is, even though I was playing pretty badly, to be honest, I still had chances to win. I guess the thing to be unhappy about is simply that in some games, I was just misevaluating. 'For example, in many games, pretty much all the games, there were one or two big moments. But okay. That's a chess weakness. It's nice that we could notice it, because I can just work on that. Some things to be happy about, some things to be not happy about. Overall, I think it was a nice experience,' he added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh has opted for a break after the Norway Chess campaign, with his name not appearing in the Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, where he is an automatic entry for all events being the world champion.
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Balance and calm key to Humpy's upturn
Mumbai:There was a certain air of calm and ease around Koneru Humpy during the damp days of 2025 Norway Chess. She did not mind sparing some time for a chat with the visiting Indian media – a rarity among players there. She was one of the more interactive and intriguingly enthusiastic participants for the off-beat games at a getaway on the tournament's first rest day. The mindset reflected in how the 38-year-old felt about her chess in the same tournament this year compared to the last, as well as the end result. For parts of the event that ran from May 26 to June 6, Humpy was the frontrunner in a strong six-woman field that included world classical champion Ju Wenjun, world No.3 Lei Tingjie and world No.6 Anna Muzychuk. The Indian world No.6 eventually signed off third, yet not before notching up three classical wins and five draws from 10 games. In 2024, she finished fifth with a solitary classical win and three defeats. Humpy's upturn at Norway Chess epitomized her classical fortunes over the past 18 months. If 2024 was a freefall – she dropped the most rating points last year, incidentally, at Norway Chess – in her classical form, 2025 has been upbeat so far. The ignition would come in the form of the world rapid title that Humpy reclaimed last December after a gap of five years. It also picked up her momentum in classical. She finished joint leader at the FIDE Grand Prix in Monaco and won the Pune Grand Prix in April coming into Norway Chess. Currently competing at the Cairns Cup in USA's St. Louis, Humpy is tied for the lead after seven rounds. 'I'm very happy with the results, especially the latest ones – winning the World Rapid title and Grand Prix in Pune,' Humpy said. 'I was not expecting to get the second world title. I wasn't doing well last year. I was underperforming in many tournaments. Norway Chess, especially, was disastrous for me last year. 'I lost my ratings heavily, and dropped down in the world rankings too. With my recent two Grand Prix performances, I've regained my ratings. But still, I want to improve it further.' Humpy is currently rated 2543 in classical, up from 2523 a few months ago. For someone who achieved her peak rating of 2623 way back in 2009, the 38-year-old still carries the eagerness to arrest the slide, steady things and continue the demanding climb back up. 'It's always about the fighting spirit, and about not accepting defeats,' she said. 'You want to prove to yourself more than anyone else that you are the best. And that's what keeps me going still.' There was a point last year, especially after tournaments like Norway Chess and Tata Steel ended in disappointments, that Humpy contemplated giving up playing chess professionally. But her preference of heading back home after every tournament to her family and daughter came in handy. Competing in back-to-back tournaments in Norway and USA, she said, is a rare exception. ''When I lose, I don't sign up (for tournaments) quickly. I take time to recover and to work more. Sometimes it's very hard to come back from some losses. But for me, it's a bit different compared to the youngsters because I have a family and a young kid at home. Once I go back home, I'm completely relaxed and out of this chess world,' she said. Stepping back and taking a pause from that world at times is something even Viswanathan Anand has advised the young Indian chess stars aiming for the sky. It's easier said than done for some but for Humpy, she finds as much happiness staying at home as she does competing for ratings and titles around the globe. Even though her father may still be hooked to online chess daily, Humpy ensures she doesn't look at chess when home, 'sometimes for weeks'. 'I enjoy when I'm playing, but when not, I'm completely switched off,' she said. 'Sometimes I desperately want to take a break because I enjoy my time at home and spending time with my kid. Even before the family, I wasn't a player who liked playing a lot of tournaments in a row. I like going back and analysing all my games and getting refreshed for a new tournament.' It's a routine the world rapid champion has had in place for years. Recently, there was a little shake up when her father began sharing chess videos with her which she made a point of watching. Routines can be tough to tweak, especially for a 38-year-old who has done things a certain way for years. Humpy, though, welcomed the change and new ways to learn even at this stage of her career. 'Recently I've started seeing more chess videos on the internet, and also solving puzzles on a daily basis,' she said. 'It was not my routine before. It was challenging at first, no doubt. But once I got used to it, I started enjoying it even more than the regular stuff.'
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First Post
11-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Magnus Carlsen's hard-hitting answer when asked about his successor, snubs Gukesh: 'They are good but...'
Magnus Carlsen gave a blunt verdict on his potential successor after winning the 2025 Norway Chess. Despite losing a game to D Gukesh in one of the earlier rounds, Carlsen did not take the current World Champion's name. read more Magnus Carlsen did not take any names when asked to pick his successor. Images: Magnus Carlsen and FIDE on X Five-time World Champion and the current World No. 1 player Magnus Carlsen didn't hold back when asked about who could be his successor in the world of chess. After the final round of Norway Chess, Carlsen gave an honest response when questioned if there is anyone ready to take his place at the top. Carlsen won the 2025 edition of the Norway Chess after an intense 10-round battle in classical games against five other players, including World Champion D Gukesh . After the tournament ended, Carlsen was asked about the next best player, and he didn't take Gukesh's name, despite losing a game to him earlier in the event. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen asked to pick his successor Carlsen said that there is no one ready to take his place at the top right now. He added that the experienced players are still better than the younger generation. 'There is no one. There is no one at the moment. That's the honest answer. There could be, but at the moment, it's not likely,' Carlsen was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. 'At the moment, I still think that the older guys are better. Every single one of them (kids) has very, very clear flaws in their games,' he added. Gukesh gets mixed reviews from Carlsen Carlsen also spoke about Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh, who recently won the World Chess Championship after defeating China's Ding Liren. Carlsen praised Gukesh's progress but also pointed out that the 19-year-old still has a long way to go. 'I think Gukesh showed in this tournament that he is on track, he is doing fantastic, but he's maybe not way ahead of track as we may have thought,' Carlsen said. 'I think he is kind of little bit where I was, 2008, 2009ish, where he can do extremely well, but you can still see that there are that great results that come not only with the quality of positional play, it's a lot of fighting qualities. That is what kids are supposed to do, you are not supposed to master everything at that age. As for the others, yes, they are good but the likelihood of one of them becoming like a very clear number one, I don't see it very clearly at the moment,' he added.
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First Post
07-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
'Gukesh won't be favourite in World Championship match if...': Magnus Carlsen makes strong prediction
Magnus Carlsen, the 2025 Norway Chess winner, recently said Gukesh could lose his World Champion title and that he is not ahead of track yet, just on track. Carlsen also reflected on his own performance in the tournament. read more Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen has shared his honest thoughts about Indian grandmaster D Gukesh, who won the 2024 World Chess Championship. Carlsen, who recently lost a match against Gukesh at the 2025 Norway Chess , stated that the 19-year-old would lose his title if he were to play a game against Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, or Ian Nepomniachtchi at present. Carlsen shares his honest thoughts about Gukesh While praising Gukesh's achievement, Carlsen said that other top players like Nakamura, Caruana, or Nepomniachtchi would be the favourites if they had won the Candidates and faced Gukesh in a World Championship match right now. Speaking to Chess24 ahead of the final day of Norway Chess, Carlsen said, 'I think if Hikaru (Nakamura) or Fabi (Caruana), or probably Nepo (Ian Nepomniachtchi) for that matter, win the Candidates they would be, at the moment, they would be a favorite in a match against Gukesh. Hikaru's come close twice. He's still extremely good so there's no reason why he couldn't.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Gukesh showed in this tournament he's on track, he's doing fantastic, but he's not ahead of track,' Carlsen maintained even after the end of the 2025 Norway Chess. Carlsen on his performance at Norway Chess 2025 Carlsen also reflected on his own performance at the Norway Chess, which he eventually went on to win despite losing his Round 10 game to Arjun Erigaisi. Gukesh finished third, while Caruana took the second spot in the men's event after their game ended in the American's favour. He admitted that his loss to Gukesh in an earlier round affected his goal of having a perfect tournament. 'Honestly, it could have meant a lot to me if I had finished off the game against Gukesh and then played a really good tournament. Now, regardless of what happens, it would kind of be like a bit of stumbling into a win,' Carlsen said. He explained that even if he ended up winning the tournament, which he did, it wouldn't feel as satisfying anymore. 'There is a very good chance that I don't win the tournament, but it honestly wouldn't make that big of a difference to me. The dream of playing a really good tournament burst with that game. Of course I want to win, but it's not that important,' he said. 'I wanted a score that reflects the fact I think I'm still significantly better at chess and since I couldn't achieve that, a potential tournament win would not mean as much.' MAGNUS CARLSEN is the 2025 Norway Chess CHAMPION! 🔥 🔥 📷 Norway Chess / Tor Nilssen & Kjetil V. Tveito #NorwayChess — Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 6, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Norway Chess 2025 Final Standings Magnus Carlsen - 16 Fabiano Caruana - 15.5 D Gukesh - 14.5 Hikaru Nakamura - 14 Arjun Erigaisi - 13 Wei Yi - 9.5
