D Gukesh Asked To Pick 'Favourite Moment' From Norway Chess Event, Magnus Carlsen In Splits

Indian chess grandmaster D Gukesh contested a hard-fought Norway Chess 2025 tournament against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, ultimately losing the title to him narrowly. Carlsen had beaten Gukesh in Round 1 of the tournament. However, Gukesh avenged it by defeating Carlsen in Round 6. What followed was an angry reaction from Carlsen, who banged his table after losing. Gukesh has now named the win over Magnus as his most memorable moment from the tournament.

When asked what his favourite moment of the tournament was, Gukesh, Carlsen and the crowd burst into laughter.

"Beating Magnus," was Gukesh's prompt response.

Carlsen had the same sentiment. The video of him banging the table after the defeat to Gukesh went viral on the internet.

"I think it's the same. I mean, there were a lot of great moments in the tournament, but that one definitely stands out," Carlsen said.

We will ALL remember this one thing #NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/fcZFFf2VqD

— Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) June 7, 2025

World number one Magnus Carlsen, after clinching his seventh Norway Chess title on Saturday, noted that Indian chess stars D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi are "very good" but "still need a little bit of time to prepare."

Carlsen's final-round game against Arjun ended in a draw. The title was then decided by the result of the match between Gukesh and American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana. Caruana's win over Gukesh helped Carlsen secure the top spot.

Carlsen finished the tournament with 16 points. Caruana came second with 15.5 points, and Gukesh secured third place with 14.5 points. Arjun Erigaisi, who had a strong campaign, ended in fifth place with 13 points.

Speaking to ANI after the tournament, Carlsen said, "I feel great. It is a relief to win the tournament. In the end, it was such a rollercoaster, but it is good."

Carlsen also appreciated the talent of both Gukesh and Arjun but said they still need some time to grow. Referring to his match against Gukesh, which he lost, Carlsen called it a game that will "stick out" and stay in memory. After that loss, Carlsen's visible frustration, which included banging the table and knocking over chess pieces, went viral on social media.

"They are all very good (Gukesh and Arjun), but they still need a little bit of time to prepare. We also have a tournament running simultaneously in Armenia, where Pragg (R Praggnanandhaa) and Aravindh Chithambaram showed very good chess... It is not a positive memory, but the game that will stick out is the game against Gukesh," Carlsen said.3

With ANI inputs