Pride of India D Gukesh pulled off a stunning victory against Magnus Carlsen, one of the greatest chess players of all time, at the Norway Chess tournament on May 1. This win could easily be the biggest of Gukesh’s career, yet he remained remarkably humble afterward, calling it a “lucky day.” Gukesh, who acknowledged that he would lose “99 out of 100 times” against Carlsen, kept his composure and reflected calmly on the match.
While Gukesh’s sportsmanship was praised, Carlsen’s reaction was far more emotional. After the loss, the Norwegian world champion slammed the table in frustration and stormed out of the venue, though he quickly apologized for his outburst.
Legendary chess player Susan Polgar took to social media to commend Gukesh, calling him a true warrior. She wrote, “The World Champion showed the true meaning of ‘Win with Grace!’ He has the heart of a warrior. Even when he was under pressure on the board and on the clock, Gukesh fought back with everything he had and deserved the win!”
That moment when World Champion @DGukesh won his game against World no.1 Magnus Carlsen!
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) June 1, 2025
Video: @adityasurroy21/ ChessBase India#chess #chessbaseindia #norwaychess #gukesh pic.twitter.com/9YQhHYlia0
Gukesh’s triumph in the sixth round was a remarkable comeback. Despite Carlsen controlling most of the game, Gukesh remained focused and capitalized on a rare blunder by the 34-year-old Norwegian in the endgame. With this win, Gukesh defeated Carlsen in classical time control for the first time in his career, showing incredible discipline and precision in the face of pressure. Also read: Glenn Maxwell Shocks Cricket World with Retirement Announcement and His Big Future Plans.
What made this victory even sweeter was the fact that Gukesh had lost to Carlsen in the opening round. In the past, Carlsen had criticized Gukesh’s classical play, even posting a cryptic message after his first-round win: “You come at the king, you best not miss.”
Earlier in 2024, Carlsen made the surprising decision not to defend his World Championship title after winning it for the fifth time. He then took a break from classical chess, making his clash with Gukesh at Norway Chess his first appearance in the format since Gukesh made history as the youngest world champion the previous year.
This match was a perfect display of grit, composure, and sportsmanship—qualities that Gukesh continues to show as he climbs the ranks of the chess world.
Also read: Sidhu Told SRK Not to Join Bollywood His Answer Was Pure Fire.