Latest news with #2025NorwayChess
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- 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
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First Post
06-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Norway Chess 2025: Can D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi beat Magnus Carlsen to the top spot? Scenarios explained
The 10th and final round of the 2025 Norway Chess gets underway on Friday with defending champion and world No 1 Magnus Carlsen, reigning world champion D Gukesh and No 2 Hikaru Nakamura among the chess stars fighting for the title. read more While D Gukesh is in the fray to finish top of the 2025 Norway Chess standings, Arjun Erigaisi can finish second at best. Image credit: Michal Waluzstan, Norway Chess One round is all that remains in the 13th edition of the Norway Chess, and the final day of the event is expected to witness a high-voltage showdown between defending champion Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh and Hikaru Nakamura. It's been quite the topsy-turvy ride for everyone involved, including reigning world champion Gukesh who began his campaign with back-to-back defeats against Carlsen and fellow Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi but was back on track with a victory over Nakamura in Round 3. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD World champion Gukesh, who had turned 19 a day after his victory over Nakamura, would go on to defeat Carlsen in the sixth round, beating the world No 1 for the first time in his career. The game made headlines not just for Gukesh's superb turnaround from a losing position but also for Carlsen's reaction to the loss – angrily slamming his fist on the table that toppled the pieces on the board, taking his opponent and everyone else at the hall by surprise. And despite admitting to being mentally affected by the loss to the point where he claims defending his title at the event will not matter to him any more, Carlsen continues to occupy the top spot on the standings, leading Gukesh by the barest of margins. Gukesh has had a mixed run since being crowned the youngest world champion in chess history with his victory over Chinese Grandmaster Ding Liren in December; he had finished runner-up at the Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands at the start of the year after losing to compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breaks, but would flop at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour events in Weissenhaus and Paris that took place in February and April respectively. Gukesh's struggle in the Freestyle format appeared to have shaken his confidence in the Classical format as well, with the Chennai lad struggling to make an impact at the Superbet Classic in Bucharest Romania. Gukesh, however, appears to have regained his touch in Norway and has silenced his critics, who were beginning to doubt if he truly deserved the tag of 'world champion' and belonged among the sport's elite, with his victories over Carlsen, Nakamura and others. Can Gukesh, or Arjun for that matter finish top of the standings after the conclusion of the final round on Friday? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How Gukesh and Arjun can finish top of the 2025 Norway Chess standings Gukesh currently has 14.5 points to his name after his victory over Chinese No 1 Wei Yi in the ninth round on Thursday, and is half-a-point behind Carlsen, who regained the top spot from Fabiano Caruana after defeating the American GM on the same day. The only way Gukesh gets to win Norway Chess is if Carlsen fails to win his final game – either by losing or being held to a draw. Should Carlsen lose to Arjun in the final round, a draw will suffice for Gukesh even if he goes on to lose the Armageddon playoff against Caruana. American GM Nakamura, however, isn't far behind on 13 points, and should he defeat Wei in Round 10, Gukesh will have no option but to win his last game. The only other player with a distant chance of finishing at the top is Caruana, who is fourth in the standings with 12.5 points. Not only will he have to defeat Gukesh, he will also be hoping Carlsen loses his final game against Arjun and Hikaru doesn't collect more than 1.5 points out of the possible 3 against Wei. Such a scenario will have Caruana finishing at the top with 15.5 points, half-a-point ahead of the second-placed Carlsen. There could also be a two-way tie between Gukesh and Arjun on 14.5 points for the third spot, which could even be a three-way tie if Hikaru pulls off an Armageddon victory. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Wei, the lowest-ranked among all the players (No 8), is set to finish at the bottom of the standings regardless of his performance in the final round.
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First Post
06-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Despite leading at Norway Chess 2025, Carlsen yet to move on from Gukesh defeat: 'Not very inspired'
Instead of discussing his victory over Fabiano Caruana in the latest round of the 2025 Norway Chess on Thursday, world No 1 and defending champion Magnus Carlsen once again brought up his defeat at the hands of reigning world champion D Gukesh, making it clear he was yet to move on from the setback. read more Magnus Carlsen had suffered the first defeat of his career at the hands of D Gukesh in Round 6 of the 2025 Norway Chess in Stavanger, Norway. Image credit: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess Magnus Carlsen returned to the top of the Norway Chess standings after defeating Fabiano Caruana in the Round 9 of the elite tournament on Thursday. However, instead of discussing his victory over the American Grandmaster, the 34-year-old Norwegian chose to bring up his sixth-round defeat at the hands of reigning world champion D Gukesh , making it clear that he is yet to move on from the setback. Also Read | Gukesh 'shocked' to hear Carlsen thinking about quitting Classical chess STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen had defeated Gukesh in 55 moves in the opening round of the 2025 Norway Chess, which was the first Classical meeting between the two since the latter was crowned world champion. Gukesh, however managed to force a resignation from Carlsen in their rematch on Sunday despite the latter finding himself in a dominant position at one point, resulting in a victory for the Indian in 62 moves . '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 like regardless of what happens it would kind of be like a bit of stumbling into a win,' Carlsen told Chess24 after his victory over world No 5 Caruana on Thursday. 'Like 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 (against Gukesh). Of course I want to win, but it's not that important,' the five-time world champion added. Carlsen on losing to Gukesh: "The dream of playing a really good tournament burst with that game... I wanted a score that reflects the fact I think I'm still significantly better at chess & since I couldn't achieve that, a potential win of the tournament would not mean as much" — chess24 (@chess24com) June 5, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tournament was a little bit over after Gukesh defeat In a separate interview with Take Take Take, Carlsen made it clear that the loss against the 19-year-old Indian GM had affected him mentally by claiming that the tournament was 'a little bit over' for him after the stunning loss. 'My tournament was a little bit over after the loss against Gukesh. It was nice to win, but not very inspired,' Carlsen said after defeating Caruana in 52 moves while playing as white. Carlsen currently leads the standings with 15 points and is followed by Gukesh, who moved to the second spot with 14.5 points ahead defeating Chinese Grandmaster Wei Yi. Carlsen will be up against world No 4 Arjun Erigaisi, the other Indian in the 'Open' section, in the final round on Friday while Gukesh squares off against Caruana, with the title on the line.
