In December 2024, when Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju — better known as Gukesh D — made history by defeating China's Ding Liren and becoming the youngest world champion of the ancient game, Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen had harsh words for the players. The level of play did not meet the standards of a World Championship match, Magnus Carlsen said at the time: "This does not look like a game between two World Championship contenders."

On Sunday, 1 June 2025, those words came to haunt Carlsen in what appeared to be sweet karmic comeuppance as the Indian GM and current World Chess Champion defeated the Norwegian GM — one of the greatest ever players in Chess history — in a classical game during Round 6 of the Norway Chess 2025 tournament in Stavanger, Norway.

The game was a tense, high-stakes battle reminiscent of the biblical story of David and Goliath. Carlsen, playing on home soil, dominated the early stages, pushing Gukesh into a defensive position right from the opening. For much of the middle game, it appeared that the Norwegian legend would coast to another smooth victory. But Gukesh, known for his cool head under pressure, weathered the storm with exceptional defensive accuracy, forcing the visibly frustrated Carlsen to resign (Chess-speak for conceding defeat) after move 62. The win lifted Gukesh to 8.5 points, one behind joint leaders Carlsen and the American GM Fabiano Caruana, with four rounds still to play.

The victory marked Gukesh’s first-ever classical win over Carlsen, and also served as a pointed response to the five-time World Champion’s recent critique of Gukesh’s classical play. After their earlier encounter in the double round-robin event, which Carlsen won, he took to social media with the taunt: "You come at the king, you best not miss" — a nod to an old Baltimore proverb that underscored his status as the game’s reigning king. This time, though, Gukesh did not miss.

As both players faced severe time trouble in the endgame, Gukesh flipped the script with precise calculation and nerves of steel. He seized on a rare miscalculation by Carlsen and converted it into a winning advantage. The result stunned commentators and fans alike — not only for the upset but for the composure the teen titan showed against one of the greatest chess players in history.

This win was more than just a personal milestone for Gukesh — it was a sign of the shifting balance of power. Gukesh’s rise to the top has signaled a generational and geographical transformation in world chess. With Viswanathan Anand having paved the way for Indian talent in the 2000s, Gukesh now represents the new face of Indian dominance on the world stage.

Surprisingly, this is not the first time an Indian GM has defeated Magnus Carlsen — Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to beat Carlsen in classical play at the same event almost exactly a year ago.

Watch the moment Gukesh Dommaraju made history by defeating Magnus Carlsen against all odds here:

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