This game at Norway Chess has attracted attention of the whole world as it is the first victory of the World Champion Dommarju Gukesh over World No 1 Magnus Carlsen.
The game between Gukesh and Carlsen at Norway Chess saw a lots of ups and downs, Qualitatively it cannot be considered a masterpiece. However, both the players displayed brilliant Chess in parts, making the best of their resources at times. The game sees some of the best qualities of the players but also exposes their fundamental weaknesses, either in play or in mental make-up. ‘A thrilling game’ is what one may say. Let’s restrict ourselves to most crucial phases in the game.
D Gukesh D (2787) – Magnus Carlsen(2837) [C65]
Norway Chess 2025 Chess.com (11), 01.06.2025
1.e4 [3]e5 [14]2.Nf3 [8]Nc6 [3]3.Bb5 [6]Nf6 [51]4.d3 [27]Bc5 [40]5.c3 [11]
5….0–0 [26]6.0–0 [16]d6 [1:25]7.h3 [28]a6 [2:18]8.Ba4 [6]h6 [59]
9.Re1 [5:22]b5 [4:32]10.Bc2 [7]Bb6 [1:12]11.Nbd2 [13:07]Ne7 [6:57]
12.a4 [4:10]Rb8 [8:27]13.d4 [47]Ng6 [17]14.Nf1 [1:16]c5 [4:45]
15.Ng3?! [41]
[15.axb5! was necessary. After 15….axb5 16.Ng3, White is slightly better.]
15…cxd4 [5:51]16.cxd4 [8]bxa4! [9]
Perfect moment for the capture. Black now seizes the initiative.
17.Bxa4 [12:03]Bb7 [3:39] 18.d5?! [22:42] A serious strategical error after deep calculation of variations. It was necessary to allow Black to simplify.
18.b4!,exd4 19.Nxd4,d5!,20.e5,Ne4 21.Nxe4,dxe4 22.Nc6,Qh4! 23.Be3,Bxc6 24.Bxc6,Bxe3 25.Rxe3,Nxe5 26.Rxe4,Qf6! 27.Bd5,Nxf2! 28.Rc4!,Rb5! 29.Ra5!,Rxa5 30.bxa5,Rb8! 31.Qc1!Nd3 32.Rc8 with a draw. But finding out these engine variations for White is very difficult.
18…a5! [5:23]19.Be3 [1:29]Bc8 [1:07]20.b3 [2:05]Bxe3 [6:28]
21.Rxe3 [5]Nf4 [1:32]22.Bc6? [2:53]
A result of not judging the position tactically correctly. White wants to win the Pawn on ‘a5’ by attacking it with Queen but his King is weak and Black is ready to start an attack against it. In fact, a direct piece sacrifice is also possible here. 22…Bxh3 23.gxh3 Nxh3+ 24.Kg2 Nf4+ looks very dangerous for White but the Rook move played by Black is probably stronger.
22…Rb4! [15:56]
A nice move, played after 16 minutes of thought, adds more pressure against White’s weaknesses.
23.Qc2 [6:05]
Carlsen
Gukesh
White’s idea to play Qc2–a2xa5 meets with a nasty surprise as Gukesh told in the interview.
23…g6! [13:50]
[Not 23…Ba6 due to 24.Qa2 But 23…Bxh3 seems possible. 24.gxh3 Nxh3+ 25.Kg2 Nf4+ 26.Kg1 g6! with dangerous threats.]
4.Kh1 [16:29]
A cautious safe prophylactic wise defensive move played after 17 minutes of thought. Not 24.Qa2? due to 24…Bxh3 25.gxh3 Qc8!! with a crushing attack.]
24…Ba6! [3:24]25.Qa2 [4:06]Bd3! [2:10]26.Nd2 [1:09]
Finally White is all set to win the Black Pawn on ‘a5’ but not without losing the entire Pawn cluster in the centre.
26…h5! [2:18] Black is winning.
27.Qxa5?! [2:26]
Objectively not the most precise but the best practical decision. The transformations in the positions are tough to digest quickly. Gukesh, who had misjudged the opening & middlegame earlier, goes for an ending or a Queenless middlegame.
27…Qxa5 [7]28.Rxa5 [2]h4–+ [12]29.Ra4! [6:14]
A tactical resource, trying to save the central Pawn mass. Black can’t take the piece.
29…Rfb8! [12]
[Not 29…Rxa4 30.Bxa4 hxg3? 31.fxg3 Bxe4 32.gxf4 Bxd5 33.fxe5 dxe5 34.Rxe5 Rc8 35.Re3 with a probable draw.]
30.Ra2[4:41] An exchange sacrifice or a blunder?
30…Kg7!? [2:47] Magnus refrains from winning the exchange with 30….hxg3 31.fxg3, Ne2! due to 32.Rxd3, Nc1 33.Rf3, Nxa2 34. Rxf6 but after 34….Nc3 35.Rxd6, Rd4!, Black seems to be winning easily. The move chosen by Magnus is equally effective.
31.Ra7 [52]Rd4 [6:36] Supporting the B on ‘d3’ thereby threatening 53….fxg3,54.hxg3Ne2 when White can’t take 55.Rxd3.
32.Nf3 [1]
Carlsen
Gukesh
This move played in almost no time has more than one brilliant refutaions. But retreating the Knight was losing anyway.
[32.Ngf1 Bxf1 33.Nxf1 Nxe4 34.Kg1 Nf6–+ winning the ‘d5’ Pawn.]
32…hxg3! [18]33.fxg3 [4]
Nxh3! [1:25]
The simplest. Objectively the best was 33…Bxe4! 34.gxf4 Rd1+ 35.Kh2 exf4 and now if 36.Re2?
Carlsen
Gukesh
then 36…Ng4+! 37.hxg4 Rh8+ 38.Nh4 Rxh4#]
34.gxh3 [16] Bxe4–+ [1:38]35.Kh2 [1:26]
At this stage, there came a drastic change in Carlsen’s play. Though the position is completely winning for Black, the World No 1 started making mistakes now. The World Champion, on the other hand, suddenly started finding resources and ways to confuse the mighty opponent.
35…Rd1 [50]
[35…Bxf3! simply destroys White’s position. “It is not important which piece is exchanged which one. What matters is which pieces are left on the board.” — Dr Sigbert Tarrasch. For example, 36.Rxf3 e4 37.Rf1 37…Rd2+ 38.Kg1 Rxb3 etc.
Or (37.Re3 Rd3! 38.Rxde3, exd3 39 Ra4,Rxd3 40.Rd4,Ne4!! 41.Rxe4,d2! 42.Rd4,Rb2! 43.Kg1,Rb1 44.Kf2 d1=Q etc.;
37.Rf2 e3 38.Re2 Rxb3 39.Ra5 Rd2 40.Ra2 Rbd3 etc.)
36.g4 [1:04] Bxd5?! [1:12] [36…Rh8! Forcing the White King to move to a more sensitive square, would have won quickly. 37.Kg2 Bxd5 38.Bxd5! Nxd5 39.Re1 Rxe1 40.Nxe1 Nf4+ 41.Kf2]
37.Bxd5 [1:07]Nxd5 [41]38.Re2 [1]Nf4 [1:41]
[38…Nc3! 39.Rc2 Nb5! (1) Guarding ‘d6’ (2) driving away the White Rook on ‘a7’, (3) covering ‘d4’ and (4) Blocking White’s Passed Pawn (5) threatening ….e5–e4 & (6) eventually posting ….Nd4 was the clinical way to win. 40.Rd7 Kf6]
39.Rc2 [1:13] Black is completely winning despite the inaccuracy on the last move. At this stage, Magnus lost his head and completely went haywire. With a WR in the seventh Rank and with possibilities such as Ng5, the position is full of possibilities of initiative against the Black King. Black next action, bringing out the King in open field & let it be attacked by the White Rooks, seems a tourist jaywalking in a forest of Wild Elephants.
39…Kf6? [2:10]
[39…Ne6 40.Rf2 e4 41.Nd2 41…Ng5 and now The sacrifice 42.Nxe4 is refuted with simple 42…Nxe4 43.Rfxf7+ Kh6 44.h4 Rd2+ 45.Kg1 Rh8! 46.b4 d5 47.b5 Rb2]
(41.Nh4 loses to 41…Ng5; 41.Ng1 is hopeless against 41…Rf8)
40.h4 [6] Threatening Ng5 again.40…Ke6 [1:28]41.Ng5+ [2:00:28]
Kd5 [1:59:51] 42.Ra5+ [1:16]Kd4 [0]43.Ra4+ [9]Kd3 [41]
44.Rf2 [0] The Black King is now subject to checks by both White Rooks. Yet, the position can still be won by covering ‘e4’ square but the World No 1 plays an over cautious move which reduces the advantage considerably.
44…f6? [1:03] [44…f5! would have won easily. 45.Rf3+ Ke2 46.Ra2+ Rd2 etc.]
45.Rf3+ [1:28]Ke2 [1:01]46.Ra2+? [9]
[46.Re4+!! Kd2 47.Ra4!! would have led to dynamic equilibrium. For example, 47…fxg5 48.Ra2, Kc1 49.Rff2!,Rxb3 50.Ra1,Rb1,51.Raa2!,Rb6 52.Ra1 etc.]
46…Rd2 [0]47.Rxd2+ [0]Kxd2 [0]48.Ne4+ [0]Ke2 [0]
Carlsen
Gukesh
The only justification to 44….f6? is that Magnus overlooked the next move by Gukesh.
49.Kg3! [0] White gets back the Pawn now.49…d5 [3]
[49…f5 50.Nxd6]
50.Nxf6 [0]Rf8? [9] This allows a forced draw.
[50…Rd8 would have still maintained some advantage. For example, 51.Rf2+ Ke3 52.Rf3+ Kd2 53.Rf2+ Kc3 etc.;
50…d4? allows White to escape with a draw after 51.Nd7 Re8!
(51…d3?? 52.Nxb8 d2 53.Rf2+ Ke1 54.Rxd2 Kxd2 55.Nd7! Nd3 (55…e4? 56.Kxf4 e3 57.Ne5) 56.Kf3+–)
52.Nxe5 Rxe5 53.Kxf4! Re3 54.Rxe3+ dxe3 55.h5 gxh5 56.gxh5 Kd3 57.h6]
51.Rf2+! [0]
[51.Nd7?? loses to 51…Nh5+ 52.gxh5 Rxf3+]
51…Ke1 [8] 52.Nd7! [1]
Carlsen
Gukesh
52…Ne2+?? [25] The losing Blunder. Black loses a piece and is unable to Promote any of his Pawns.
[52…Re8! would have maintained slight upper hand though White succeeds in drawing the game. 53.Nxe5 Ne2+ 54.Rxe2+ Kxe2 55.Kf4! d4 56.Nc4 d3 57.h5 with a draw. 57…gxh5 58.gxh5;
Or (57…Rg8 58.h6!
(58.hxg6? Rxg6 59.g5 Rc6!–+)
58…g5+ 59.Kf5=)
52…Nh5+?? is also losing 53.gxh5 Rxf2 54.Nxe5!! Rf5 55.hxg6 Rxe5 56.g7 Re8 57.h5 Rg8 58.h6 d4 59.Kf4 d3 60.h7 etc.
53.Rxe2+ [0]Kxe2 [0]54.Nxf8 [0]d4 [0]
[54…e4 is pointless due to 55.Nxg6 e3 56.Nf4+ Kd2 57.Kf3! d4 58.Ke4!]
55.Ne6! [0]
[Not 55.Nxg6?? due to 55…d3 56.Nxe5 d2]
55…d3 [8]56.Nc5! [0]
[56.Ng5 Ke3
Carlsen
Gukesh
57.Nh3!! also wins. 57…e4 58.Nf2 Kd4
(58…d2 59.h5 gxh5 60.gxh5 Kd4 61.Nd1 Kd3 62.Kf4! Ke2 63.Ne3)
59.Nxe4! Kxe4 60.Kf2;
However, 56.Nc7?? loses to 56…d2 57.Nd5 Kd3 58.Nb4+ Kd4 59.Nc2+ Ke4!]
56…Ke3 [0]
Carlsen
Gukesh
[56…d2 loses to 57.Ne4! d1N 58.h5 gxh5 59.gxh5 Ne3 60.Kh4 Kf3 61.Kg5! Kxe4 62.h6 Nf5 63.h7 Nd6 64.Kg6]
(57…Ke3 58.Nf2 e4 59.h5 g5 60.h6 Ke2 61.Nxe4)
57.Na4 [3]e4 [0]58.h5 [5]gxh5 [0]59.gxh5 [0]Kd2 [0]
Carlsen
Gukesh
[59…d2 loses to 60.Nb2; 59…Kd4 is refuted by 60.Kf2 e3+ 61.Ke1]
60.Nb2!! [0] [Not 60.h6?? e3 61.h7 e2 62.h8Q e1Q+ 63.Kf4 Qe3+ 64.Kf5]
60…e3 [0]
[60…Kc3 loses to 61.Nc4! Kxb3 (61…d2 62.Ne3) 62.Nd2+ Kc2 63.Nxe4; 60…Kc2 is met with 61.Nc4 d2 62.Ne3+ Kd3 63.Kf4]
61.Nc4+ [0] Ke2 [0]
Carlsen
Gukesh
62.Kf4! [0] 1–0
The only way! Not 62.h6?? d2 63.h7 d1Q 64.h8Q Qxb3 leads to a simple draw.]
[After 62.Kf4 Black resigned in view of 62…d2 63.Nxe3!;
Brilliant display of accurate calculations in the Endgame at Norway Chess by the world champion!
