Magnus Carlsen won his seventh Norway Chess crown in Stavanger, consolidating his stronghold in the top tournament but the last day saw high drama, especially for India’s D Gukesh, who was in the running for the crown until the last moment. But he faced a loss against champion and US Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana.
In the final round, Gukesh was battling from a weaker position but fought bravely in a bid to level the scores. Alas, having precious little time left on his clock, he committed a blunder that decided the match. With only two seconds left on his clock, Gukesh extended a handshake, conceding defeat before covering his face with his hands which showed that he was clearly disappointed.
Absolute heartbreak for Gukesh as he'd rescued a draw against Caruana only to blunder at the very end!#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/ruCepSQNEH
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Carlsen, on his part, encountered another young Indian gun, Arjun Erigaisi, in a match where he was left struggling. In spite of the difficult position, he could eke out a draw, which was sufficient to lead him to the top with 16 points. Carlsen’s steady performance throughout the tournament, coupled with Gukesh’s loss in the penultimate round, saw the Norwegian lift the trophy once again.
Fabiano Caruana’s win against Gukesh not only shattered the young player’s hopes of winning the title but also moved the American to second place with 15.5 points. Gukesh, having been in the running right up to the last round, had to content himself with third with 14.5. Arjun Erigaisi came fifth with 12.5 points in what was a closely contested lineup.
