Magnus Carlsen is without a doubt a chess player with character. His playing style is a combination of his character, his position as the best player in the world, and his innate ability to create game-winning moves out of even the smallest margins.
At the Norway Chess 2025 tournament, he was to use these skills against World No. 5 Gukesh Dommaraju.
Before their match started, the 19-year-old Indian Grand Master was sitting at the table, adjusting his side of the board and going through his pre-game plans. The Norwegian, on the other hand, went through a couple of interviews and photo sessions before taking his seat just a few seconds before their game.
Carlen went by his usual tactic of trying to probe for an advantage. However, Dommaraju, always known to be extremely quick with his calculations, countered on a lot of the Norwegian's moves. Even though Magnus Carlsen was on Dommaraju's side of the board, he lost a lot of pieces and was on the defense.
He had to move his King to the d2 slot to try and move it towards the Indian's pieces. Gukesh Dommaraju countered by moving his Rook down to b2. Magnus Carlsen understood that his opponent was setting it up for a checkmate, and quickly moved his King to e2.
Dommaraju countered by moving his King to f4, effectively creating a future checkmate, where his 34-year-old opponent would end up losing one of his two remaining pawns. That effectively destroyed Carlsen's defense, ending the game.
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The Norwegian understood that he had lost the game and banged on the table. His fist hitting the table unsettled most of the pieces, startling the young Indian. Magnus Carlsen then regained his composure and shook hands with Gukesh Dommaraju as he stormed out.
Chess fans upset with Magnus Carlsen's antics
Clips of this ending appeared on Norway Chess's official social media accounts and quickly went viral. For starters, Magnus Carlsen's fans were upset that he lost in his home tournament to a 19-year-old World No. 5. However, chess fans were more upset at his table-thumping antics.
They believe it shows he does not have the class to take the loss as a chess champion should. It also depicts extreme overconfidence, as the young Indian made mincemeat of a World No. 1 who is excellent in pressure situations. Fans took to social media to call out the 34-year-old, examples of which are below.
Gukesh Dommaraju winning this game was a big victory for Indian chess fans, as they now can claim that one of their own managed to beat the world's best. This win gave the teenager three major points, which helped him rise to third in the standings. With three days to go, the battles continue, and the Chennai-born star would hope he makes it to the finals.
Gukesh Dommaraju claims he was lucky
Dommaraju has battled on many stages before this time scramble battle against Magnus Carlsen. After the win, he was visibly shaken, knowing the gravity of his win. He just sent the world's best packing in his own country. But he believes he was lucky towards the end.
Gukesh Dommaraju came back from a losing position to win against Magnus Carlsen (Image via Norway Chess/X)99 out of 100 times, I would lose. Just a lucky day.
Gukesh Dommaraju said to a reporterPurists will point out to Carlsen's aggressive style, which might work against others, but when facing a superfast, calculative, and calm youngster such as Gukesh Dommaraju, they believe he should have altered his approach. The Indian effectively came back from a losing position to win, taking advantage of the Norwegian's confidence.
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Joseph is a Senior Writer with FirstSportz and covers the NBA as well as the NFL. Sports came to him naturally from a young age. While playing high school basketball, he was enamored by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant's all-dominating Lakers, who still happen to be his favorite team. He had a fleeting interest in American football during the Greatest Show on Turf era. That interest then grew exponentially when he saw Richard Sherman and the Legion of Boom romp their way to a Super Bowl. All that time, he was either trying to graduate with a degree in Commerce from St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, or working with HDFC Bank and HSBC. Then his long-standing passion for automobiles saw him launch East India's first auto-detailing service. His keen eye for quality and creativity has carried over to his forays as a writer, where he combines it with his three-decade experience as a sports fan to help him place words together.