Norway Chess 2025: D Gukesh fights again from consecutive losses with victory over Hikaru Nakamura

Reigning world champion D Gukesh roared again from consecutive losses on the 2025 Norway Chess with a victory over Hikaru Nakamura in Spherical 3 of the elite chess event on Wednesday. The third day of the occasion in Stavanger, Norway additionally witnessed house favorite and defending champion Magnus Carlsen lose one more Armageddon playoff after being held to a draw for the second time in as many video games.

World No 3 Gukesh, who has been having a turbulent run throughout codecs this yr since ending runner-up on the Tata Metal Chess in February, defeated world No 2 Hikaru in 42 strikes whereas enjoying with white items to lastly open his Norway Chess 2025 account – doing so so by accumulating all three factors on supply.

Gukesh had misplaced to Carlsen
and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi within the first two rounds of the double-round-robin event, the previous being his first assembly with the world No 1 since being topped the youngest world champion within the sport’s historical past in December, discovering himself beneath time strain in each video games.

Not solely did the Chennai lad handle his time so much higher in opposition to Hikaru on Wednesday, he was additionally much more correct together with his strikes (93.7 per cent) in comparison with his American opponent (85.5 per cent). And what swung the sport decisively in his favour was a blunder by Hikaru in his thirty first transfer (Qd6), with the Indian shortly capitalising on the error and clinching victory shortly after.

“I really feel fairly good (concerning the win). I feel my time administration was significantly better in the present day than earlier than. He (Nakamura) had some drawing possibilities, however I assume, total, it was good,” Gukesh mentioned after his victory, which got here on the eve of his nineteenth birthday.

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“Clearly, the final two video games had been type of powerful. However in the present day I simply tried to play it as a recent event. Glad I performed (like that),” he added.

Carlsen loses one more Armageddon recreation

Carlsen, in the meantime, misplaced a second consecutive Armageddon recreation after opening his account with an exhilarating victory over Gukesh on Monday. The five-time world champion had been held to a stalemate by Hikaru whereas enjoying with black items in Spherical 2, shedding the next tie-breaker.

He suffered an identical destiny in opposition to Wei Yi, China’s top-rated participant who’s ranked eighth on the planet, with one key distinction – he had the benefit of enjoying with white items this time. The 2 gamers, nonetheless, shook fingers after Carlsen’s 51st transfer following a collection of repeated strikes.

As for his or her Armageddon faceoff, Carlsen ceded benefit to his opponent with a few questionable strikes (24 Rxf7 and 25 Rxf5), with the second being an outright blunder that allowed the Chinese language GM to wrap the sport up shortly after.

Wei Yi takes down Magnus with Black in a trendy Armageddon win!
What a efficiency by China’s No.1 and his first ever victory in opposition to Magnus 👏🔥 #NorwayChess #magnuscarlsen #weiyi pic.twitter.com/FAXLO0bNNt

— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) Could 28, 2025

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As for the opposite board, Fabiano Caruana defeated Arjun in 44 strikes whereas enjoying with white items to gather his second victory on the trot and set up himself as the only real chief after three rounds with 6 factors, with Carlsen on the second spot with 5.

World No 4 Arjun had gained the Armageddon recreation in opposition to Wei on Monday earlier than
defeating Gukesh in 62 strikes
, and suffered his first lack of the event on Wednesday, giving his opponent the higher hand after committing a pawn blunder (dxc4) in his twenty eighth transfer.

As for the ‘Ladies’ part, Grandmaster Koneru Humpy was again to profitable methods as she defeated Spain’s Sara Khadem in 42 strikes whereas enjoying with white items within the third spherical. The win allowed Humpy to maneuver into the joint-lead with Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk, whom she had misplaced to on Tuesday, on 6 factors.

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Muzychuk held China’s Lei Tingjie – the highest-rated participant within the part – to a draw within the Classical in addition to Armageddon video games whereas enjoying with black items to gather 1.5 factors.

In the meantime, GM R Vaishali – the opposite Indian within the ladies’s part, held Ju Wenjun to a stalemate however misplaced the Armageddon tie-breaker to gather a solitary level and stay fifth within the standings with two factors.

Norway Chess 2025: Standings after Spherical 3

Place	Participant	Factors
1	Fabiano Caruana	6.0
2	Magnus Carlsen	5.0
3	Hikaru Nakamura	4.5
4	Arjun Erigaisi	4.5
5	D Gukesh	3.0
6	Wei Yi	2.5

Norway Chess Ladies 2025: Standings after Spherical 3

Place	Participant	Factors
1	Anna Muzychuk	6.0
2	Koneru Humpy	6.0
3	Lei Tingjie	4.0
4	Ju Wenjun	4.0
5	R Vaishali	2.0
6	Sara Khadem	2.0