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Norway Chess: Anna Muzychuk draws less hype, but earns same prize money as Magnus Carlsen after women’s title | Chess News

Danijones10 hours ago06 mins

Anna Muzychuk and Magnus Carlsen (Norway Chess/Michal Walusza) NEW DELHI: “In sports, you never know what will happen,” GM Anna Muzychuk had said during a chat with TimesofIndia.com last February. Back then, Ukraine’s No. 1 was looking ahead to 2025 with cautious optimism.Five months on, Muzychuk has three back-to-back classical chess titles under her belt: the Nicosia Grand Prix in March, Grosslobming Grand Prix in May, and now the prestigious Norway Chess.Despite her consistent form, the current World No. 6 (based on live ratings) entered the Stavanger event without much fanfare.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The spotlight was instead on reigning world champion Ju Wenjun, former champion Lei Tingjie, India’s Koneru Humpy, and rising stars like Vaishali Rameshbabu and Sara Khadem.On social media and in chess circles, most conversations overlooked Muzychuk’s quiet momentum, while global attention was heavily skewed towards big names in the Open section: Magnus Carlsen’s return to classical chess, his on-board rivalry against World Champion D Gukesh, and elite players like Hikaru Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi, and Fabiano Caruana.Amid this high-profile cast, Muzychuk stayed away from public scrutiny — until her results did the talking.“Yes, last year, I finished second behind the Women’s World Champion… It would be wonderful if I could win it,” Ukraine’s top-rated Grandmaster had said before the tournament.She did, and she did it effortlessly. The 35-year-old was the only player in the women’s field to remain unbeaten in classical games this year.With four classical wins and steady results in the Armageddon rounds, she amassed 16.5 points, enough to edge the rest and secure the title.Along with the trophy, Muzychuk also received NOK 700,000 (approximately Rs 59 lakh), the same amount awarded to Carlsen for winning the Open section.This edition marked the first time Norway Chess offered equal prize money across both sections, a move hailed as a significant step for women’s chess.“For us, as women, we are very excited about it. It’s very important and a big step forward,” Muzychuk had stated earlier. “As you know, in general, there are more open tournaments, which are mainly for men, and the prize funds in those tournaments are usually higher. So we would love to see more women’s events with higher prizes. That would be a great motivation for us and for the next generation, showing them that such tournaments exist and what they can aspire to achieve.“ Anna Muzychuk (Norway Chess/Michal Walusza) The Norway Chess format itself is unique.A win in the classical round earns 3 points. A draw leads to an Armageddon tiebreak, where a win grants 1.5 points and a loss, 1 point.ALSO READ: Rs 50,000 a month and countless sacrifices: How India’s chess future shapes up in Chennai hutIn Armageddon, White gets 10 minutes and must win; Black gets 7 minutes (with a 1-second increment after move 41) and wins the game if it ends in a draw.“Usually, in my case in Armageddon, I just play the game, but I always keep in mind that a draw favours Black. So if I have a choice between simplifying or going for something more complex, I might prefer the simpler option,” Muzychuk explained. “If I’m White, I might go for complexity. But if I get a chance to force a draw with a perpetual check, I might take it instead of risking everything.”With this title, Muzychuk has reinforced her status as one of the most consistent performers in women’s chess today, even if the spotlight hasn’t always followed.

D Gukesh unlikely to replicate my dominance at the moment: Magnus Carlsen

Danijones12 hours ago04 mins

Magnus Carlsen feels that D Gukesh and the rest of the Indian talent are not going to replicate his dominance in chess at the moment after winning the Norway Chess on Friday, June 6. Carlsen won the tournament for the seventh time after a blunder from Gukesh in his match against Fabiano Caruana cost the World Champion dearly and he slipped to a loss. This meant that Carlsen, who drew his match against Arjun Erigaisi from an unfavourable position, clinched the title. Speaking to Chess24, the World No.1 was asked if the Indian talent, including Gukesh, Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa will be able to replicate his success in chess. Carlsen responded by saying that it is unlikely at the moment. The World No.1 said that Gukesh showed during the tournament that he is on track but isn’t way ahead when it comes to his development at this time. “There is no one. No one at the moment. That’s the honest answer. There could be, but at the moment it’s not likely. I think Gukesh showed in this tournament that he’s on track, he’s doing fantastic, but he’s maybe he not way ahead of track as we may have thought. I think he’s kind of a little bit where I was 2008, 2009-ish. You can do extremely well, but you can still see that there are that great results, like they come not only with the quality of the positional play, but it’s a lot of fighting qualities. But that is what kids are supposed to do.” “You’re not supposed to master everything at that age. As for the others, yes, they are good, but the likelihood of one of them becoming like a very clear number one. I don’t see it very clearly at the moment,” said Gukesh. ‘Every single one of them has clear flaws in their game’ Carlsen feels that the older guys are better at the moment and the young guns aren’t ready to take over just yet as they have very clear flaws in their games. “At the moment, I still think that the older guys are better, and they’re not ready to take over like that. Every single one of them has very, very clear flaws in their games,” said Carlsen. Published On: Jun 7, 2025 Tune In

‘I did not ask for it but … ’: Chess legend Susan Polgar reveals PM Modi’s surprise letter; here’s what India prime minister wrote to her | Chess News

Danijones2 days ago04 mins

PM Modi and chess legend Susan Polgar NEW DELHI: Chess legend Susan Polgar reminisced about receiving a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Republic Day eve 2022, acknowledging her contributions to developing young Indian chess talent.Recently, PM Modi extended congratulations to Gukesh Dommaraju for achieving his first classical chess victory against Magnus Carlsen, world no. 1, during Round 6 of Norway Chess 2025. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The Hungarian chess champion commended the Prime Minister’s dedication to chess and his support for Indian players.“A few years ago, I received this from Prime Minister Modi for my work with Indian students and support for Indian players. His office contacted me directly for my address so they can express his letter. I did not ask for it but appreciated his gesture. It is nice that he (even through his assistants) supports and encourages Indian chess players and athletes in other sports,” she shared on X alongside PM Modi’s 2022 letter.Susan’s earlier post shared PM Modi’s congratulatory message to Gukesh regarding his victory over Carlsen, whilst questioning if other national leaders discuss chess players, noting Argentine President Javier Milei as the sole exception.“Are there leaders of nations who tweet about their chess players? I only know of one other, Javier Milei, tweeting about Faustino Oro,” Susan wrote.Additionally, Susan praised Gukesh’s remarkable victory over Carlsen in Norway Chess round six, stating, “He fights and fights and fights no matter how bad the positions are. This was also the strength of Carlsen for years. Mark of champions!” Virat Kohli’s love for ‘dhaba’ food, priority for family & more | RCB bus driver shares stories Subsequently, Gukesh secured his maiden classical victory against fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi in an intense seventh-round match, despite initially appearing to be in a losing position.However, in round eight, Hikaru Nakamura ended Gukesh’s winning streak by defeating the world champion in classical format, breaking his five-game winless run and creating an exciting tournament situation.The victory placed Nakamura alongside Gukesh at 11.5 points, resulting in a shared third position as the tournament nears its conclusion. For Gukesh, this defeat represents a slight setback in an otherwise outstanding tournament performance.