World Champion D Gukesh pulled off a stunning upset against former World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 of the Norway Chess 2025 tournament on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Indian grandmaster turned the tables from a losing position to defeat Carlsen, marking his first classical win over the Norwegian legend. Gukesh also became the second Indian ever to beat Carlsen in the history of the event, after R Praggnanandhaa.

Carlsen had the upper hand for most of the game, but Gukesh stayed resilient and capitalized on mistakes in time pressure to secure victory. The win lifts Gukesh to third place on the leaderboard with 8.5 points, just one point behind both Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.

Earlier in the tournament, Carlsen had defeated Gukesh in Round 1 in their first classical match since Gukesh became World Champion. The game also marked Carlsen’s return to individual classical chess after nearly a year.

Gukesh’s coach, GM Vishnu Prasanna, praised his student’s performance:

“He kept fighting even in a lost position. His persistence under pressure made the difference.”

With just a few rounds remaining, the competition for the Norway Chess 2025 title remains wide open.