June 7, 2025
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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

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

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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.

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

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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

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'Not a positive memory': Magnus Carlsen haunted by D Gukesh loss; but says 'Indians still need time to prepare' | Chess News

‘Not a positive memory’: Magnus Carlsen haunted by D Gukesh loss; but says ‘Indians still need time to prepare’ | Chess News

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Magnus Carlsen and D Gukesh (Pic credit: Norway Chess) World number one Magnus Carlsen secured his record-extending seventh Norway Chess title in Stavanger, but not without drama. The title was ultimately decided by Indian prodigy D Gukesh’s loss to American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in the final round.Carlsen, who drew his final-round game against Arjun Erigaisi from an unfavourable position, finished the tournament with 16 points. Caruana took second place with 15.5, while Gukesh settled for third with 14.5. Arjun, another standout Indian performer, ended fifth with 12.5 points.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Speaking after the tournament, Carlsen acknowledged the rising stature of the young Indian talents but offered a measured perspective. “They are all very good (Gukesh and Arjun), but they still need a little bit of time to prepare,” Carlsen told ANI. “We also have a tournament running simultaneously in Armenia, where Pragg (R Praggnanandhaa) and Aravindh Chithambaram showed very good chess.”Reflecting on his own journey through the rollercoaster tournament, Carlsen admitted, “I feel great. It is a relief to win the tournament. In the end, it was such a rollercoaster, but it is good.”One game that particularly stood out for the five-time world champion was his shocking loss to Gukesh earlier in the tournament — a rare moment of vulnerability that even saw Carlsen vent his frustration on the board. “It is not a positive memory, but the game that will stick out is the game against Gukesh,” he admitted. Virat Kohli’s love for ‘dhaba’ food, priority for family & more | RCB bus driver shares stories As for Gukesh, the 17-year-old’s heartbreaking loss to Caruana came after a desperate bid to recover from a tough position. Running out of time, he resigned with just two seconds left on the clock and covered his face in frustration — a moment that underscored both his promise and his growing pains at the highest level.

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‘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

‘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

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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.

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Magnus Carlsen wanted to draw line in sand by beating D Gukesh: Viswanathan Anand

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Viswanathan Anand feels that Magnus Carlsen’s fiery reaction to his loss to D Gukesh stems from the fact that the World No.1’s authority in the game was challenged by someone younger to him. Anand said that Carlsen wanted to ‘draw a line in the sand’ by beating Gukesh and indicated that the FIDE could discuss about the incident soon. Carlsen was left visibly frustrated when he lost to Gukesh recently in the Norway Chess and the World No.1 reacted by slamming the table, which caused the pieces to get scattered before shouting ‘oh my god’ and exiting the arena in a hurry, as fans watched in shock. Speaking to PTI, Anand said that beating Gukesh mattered a lot to Carlsen as he wanted to establish that he was superior to the youngsters. “But it (beating Gukesh) mattered a lot to him. Even if all the other games he’s kind of going through emotions (here) But in this game (against Gukesh), I think something he wanted to establish. He wanted to draw some line in the sand and tell all these kids ‘hang on a few years’, whatever. But this meant a lot. I think a 2-0 (win against Gukesh) here, he would have been very, very happy,” said Anand. Anand said that losing the game from a dominant position further added fuel to Carlsen’s anger. “Against any opponent on earth, he would have hated losing such a good position. I mean to miss that the knight comes back. I felt exactly the same way when I blew my game against Magnus three years ago in 2022 in Norway,” said Anand. Anand also felt that factors like fatigue and the time control in Norway Chess could have been the reasons behind Carlsen’s outburst as well. “Certainly, the game meant a lot to him and he came close and he slipped, but it could also be fatigue. It could be this new time control (in Norway Chess). Here we have this thing where we have Classical chess and then we have a sudden-death Armageddon tie-break (after every game in the event of a draw)” he said. ‘A lot of stuff must have been going on in his head’ Anand said he had seen enough outbursts during his career to call the Carlsen incident an aberration. The former World Champion said that a lot of things may have gone on in Carlsen’s head at that time and would have lefd to the outburst. “Yes, (I’ve seen) enough anger. All this has been around for a while, people screaming and cursing. I think it was in Delhi (2000 World Championship), where after his game with (Estonia’s) Jaan Ehlvest, (Vassily) Ivanchuk threw a chair across. So, the only difference is the camera, not the incident. “And, the other thing I would say is that this (game between Gukesh and Carlsen) was very intense. I mean, maybe Magnus isn’t that excited about classical chess, but he’s certainly taken on Gukesh (in the format),” Anand said. “Or if not Gukesh personally the person who is now the world champion showing that he (Carlsen) can fight youngsters. I mean, a lot of stuff (was) probably going on in his head, and it came out. So, those two games (against Gukesh), he took very, very intensely and seriously. And that’s kind of partially what brought it (frustration) on.” Anand said that FIDE could look into the matter soon. “Laws means definitions. It gets tricky. I guess it will come up (in FIDE discussions), I think. But, you know, on the other hand, if you take someone like (American GM) Hikaru (Nakamura), he says, ‘let’s have more of it’ (Carlsen incident). It gets attention. So, we’ll have to balance these things out.” “But certainly, I think it will be discussed very soon,” added Anand. Published On: Jun 5, 2025 Tune In

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