Norway Chess | Gukesh overcomes Wei Yi challenge, presses hard for title with Carlsen

D. Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen vie for Norway Chess title in Stavanger, with Carlsen aiming for seventh win.

Reigning world champion D. Gukesh crossed another hurdle, beating China’s Wei Yi in the ninth and penultimate round to earn three full points and emerge as a top contender, along with Norwegian star Magnus Carlsen, for the prestigious Norway Chess title in Stavanger.

With one round to go, Gukesh is placed second on 14.5 points, while five-time world champion Carlsen — who fought back from a losing position to defeat American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana and earn full points — is just half-a-point ahead in the six-player double round-robin tournament on Thursday (June 5, 2025).

Gukesh will take on Caruana, while Carlsen will play Arjun Erigaisi in the deciding 10th round, with both hoping to prove a point in one-upmanship by claiming the title and a $69,000 prize purse.

If defending champion Carlsen wins, it will be his seventh Norway Chess title dating back to 2016, while Gukesh would be hoping for his maiden triumph in two outings here.

Another American GM, Hikaru Nakamura on 13 points, has an outside chance, provided the other results go in his favour.

Nakamura left Arjun Erigaisi high and dry, crushing the Indian’s challenge in the Armageddon tie-break after steering the game toward a draw, though both had more than 40 minutes on the clock.

Gukesh looked more assured and refreshed after the second rest day on Wednesday (June 4, 2025) and forced his Chinese opponent to resign on the 40th move.