D Gukesh pulled off a sensational upset at Norway Chess 2025 on Sunday. The 18-year-old defeated World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 6. Although he started from a losing position, Gukesh managed to turn the game around. As a result, he earned his first-ever classical win against Carlsen. The match lasted 62 moves and stretched for over four hours.

Immediately after losing, Carlsen slammed the table in frustration. However, he still showed sportsmanship by shaking hands with Gukesh. The young Indian looked dazed but stood up respectfully. On his way out, Carlsen even gave him a light pat on the back.

Carlsen Reflects on the Loss

Later, Carlsen spoke with TV 2 Sport in an interview shared by Norway Chess on social media. He admitted he no longer finds classical chess enjoyable. “I generally feel good in this tournament, I just don’t think it’s fun to play anymore, and that’s the problem,” he said.

Moreover, he expressed frustration with how slow-paced games have become. “I’m sitting there in the middle of the game, thinking that I have the same position as I had so many times. It’s just moving slowly.”

Carlsen added, “I don’t find it exciting, and I know I can play really well. It is satisfying to play well, but then I collapsed towards the end, and showed great weaknesses; Gukesh fights really well.”

Gukesh Stays Humble

Meanwhile, Gukesh remained grounded after the win. Speaking to Chess24, he said, “I was just trying to play moves that were tricky for him and luckily he got into time scramble. One thing I learnt from this tournament is that time scrambles can get too much out of control.”

Furthermore, he credited luck for the outcome. “99 out of 100 times I would lose. Just a lucky day,” he added.

Ultimately, the victory was special. Not only did Gukesh beat the world’s top player, but he also did so against someone who had withdrawn from the official FIDE World Championship cycle. Since Carlsen won’t take part in future title matches, this win holds even more weight for Gukesh.