Norway Chess 2025: The pain in chess is real, and that was visible when Gukesh remained frozen in his chair after going down on the final day as rival Magnus Carlsen lifted the title in round 10 of Norway Chess.

Gukesh, who was trailing Carlsen by just half a point before the final round, had toppled some of the best of the business and fought decisively but lost to Fabiano Caruana in the final round, where a draw could have saved the day. In a tense endgame, with mere seconds left on the clock, Gukesh blundered—a knight fork that sealed his fate, and all that could be done was to offer a handshake.

The loss hit Gukesh hard. After all, the young Indian grandmaster was so close, fought so hard, and actually had a path to a draw right at the death. But he blundered, let it slip with no time on his clock - something that bothered him through the tournament.

The dejection and the emotion were for everyone to see on the world champion's face, absolutely gutted and distraught. The 19-year-old kept wondering how he could have let this slip, because if he hadn't, then the contest would have descended into Armageddon, where he would have had a shot at the title.

Calculation was his biggest strength, and when it mattered most, that one quality did not save him.

In the meantime, Magnus Carlsen, watching quietly from a distance, finally allowed himself to breathe. The champion had survived.

Caruana finished second with 15.5 points, while Gukesh ended third – the second time he has finished in as many Norway Chess tournaments – with 14.5 points. Erigaisi was fifth with 12.5 points.

In the women’s section, overnight leader and two-time world blitz champion, Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk won the title with 16.5 points despite an Armageddon tie-break loss to India’s R. Vaishali in the final round.