It was the bang heard around the chess world.
With his clock running low and defeat at his doorstep, perhaps the greatest chess player of all time couldn’t hide his anger any longer. Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen slammed his fist on the table at the 2025 Norway Chess tournament and, for the first time in his career, conceded to rising Indian chess star Gukesh Dommaraju in a classical chess game.
Though Dommaraju has defeated Magnus before in rapid and blitz formats, the 19-year-old from Chennai, India captured his first long-form victory over Carlsen, rallying from a losing position as Carlsen withered under the pressure. For Carlsen, who was playing in his home country of Norway, the loss was especially brutal, as he had firm control over the game during the early and mid stages of the match.
It was the endgame with time running low where Carlsen blundered. With 47 seconds left on his clock, Carlsen used his 52nd move to check Dommaraju’s white king. It was a mistake. With his two black pawns in advanced positions at the center of the board, Carlsen calculated that he could race his pieces to the other side and promote at least one to a queen. But Carlsen, who is known as the master of endgame theory, miscalculated.
“And the entire world gasped,” remarked the American Levy Rozman, a chess international master and YouTube star. Dommaraju launched a devastating counterattack that blindsided Carlsen. The Norwegian grandmaster was paralyzed. With the tables turned and Dommaraju only a few moves away from promoting a pawn to a queen himself, Carlsen struck the table with primal fury. “Oh my God!” grunted a clearly exasperated Carlsen. He then quickly shook hands with Dommaraju who appeared overwhelmed by the results of the time scramble.
“First classical win against Magnus, I mean, not the way I wanted it to be, but okay I’ll take it,” said Dommaraju who called his victory “lucky.” In a fitting stroke of irony, and with many of both men’s chess pieces scattered across the board, Dommaraju’s king remained upright despite Carlsen’s fists.
Though casual observers were struck by Carlsen’s physical outburst to a heartbreaking loss, many top chess players empathized with the Norwegian’s pain. “If I lose a game like that, I will maybe drink for a whole night or some other things,” said the top-ranked Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi. “We would all feel the pain of that loss, he just gave a more visceral reaction,” noted American superstar Fabiano Caruana.
Carlsen, however, expressed dismay with his visceral reaction during a post-match interview. “I wish I had a different reaction, but it is what it is.” It was the pair’s second meeting of this week’s tournament. Carlsen captured the first match which was an even affair until Dommaraju collapsed down the stretch where Carlsen is usually best. But on Sunday, it was Dommaraju who benefited most from the time crunch.
Though Carlsen retains his top ranking according to the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Dommaraju’s ascent aligns with other Indian chess players who have rocketed up the rankings. For the first time in history, India now boasts four active players ranked in the top 10 according to Chess2700.
Carlsen, who is 34, suggested his days in the classical chess format may be nearing an end following the blunder on Sunday. “Situations like yesterday, I’m just wondering, why am I doing this?” Carlsen asked. “What’s the point?” The Russian world champion Garry Kasparov retired at age 42 and questions about Carlsen’s future, especially considering his comments following this weekend’s loss, will grow in the coming weeks and months.
Carlsen had hoped to rebound from Sunday’s blunder with a victory over Wei in Tuesday’s round of the tournament but made another uncharacteristic blunder, giving his knight and the game to Wei. Carlsen could only laugh this time. The man who has sat atop the chess world for 15 years and captured five world championships in that time suddenly looks beatable.
For the first time in a long time, commentators are quietly beginning to discuss a future in the sport of chess where Carlsen no longer strikes fear into the hearts of his opponents. That’s a good thing. For chess and for Carlsen, who has shown a great interest in the social side of life. If anyone has earned a respite from the years of grinding to be the best, it’s the young man from Tønsberg who has dedicated a third of his life to the game of kings.
As for the future, Dommaraju will now look to cement himself as the game’s next great player. In response to his “lucky” victory over Carlsen on Sunday, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 19-year-old from the Bay of Bengal in eastern India.
“An exceptional achievement by Gukesh! Congratulations to him for triumphing over the very best,” wrote Modi. “His first-ever win against Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 of Norway Chess 2025 showcases his brilliance and dedication.”
Speaking of his victory, a stunned Dommaraju admitted he would lose the same game against Carlsen “99 out of 100 times.” In chess, as in sports, as in life, there’s always that one time. On Sunday, in Norway, Dommaraju made his breakthrough.
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