Gukesh beats Magnus, and the world goes “What?”

by Rasika Ratnaparkhi - 02/06/2025

Gukesh took down the World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess at the 13th Norway Chess. The game was full of excitement, but it was the time trouble that changed the course of the result in just a few moves. It wasn’t the smoothest win. In fact, Gukesh himself said he was still shaking after the game. But a win is a win, and this one was special. His first classical victory over Magnus Carlsen! While Gukesh stayed composed as usual, the internet did the celebration for him. From top players to chess fans across the world, everyone had something to say. Here is how the world reacted to this epic moment. Photos: Michal Walusza

Woke up to this!

Mornings can be a mess when you wake up late. Everything feels off. The whole routine gets messed up, and you have to push extra hard to feel somewhat normal again. That was me this morning. Don’t worry, I am not here to give you some gyaan about morning routines or productivity hacks. I am just saying, it wasn’t a great start. And then I made it worse… I checked my phone. The moment I turned on the Wi-Fi, the notifications came flooding in. Instead of ignoring them, I did the next worst thing… I opened Instagram. But hey, something interesting happened! The very first reel that popped up in my feed was about yesterday’s game between Gukesh and Magnus. It showed that Gukesh had won.

The moment when Magnus Carlsen resigned against Gukesh Dommaraju. | Video: ChessBase India

I was so happy! It was his first classical victory against the World No.1! And just like that, my morning turned around. :)

But first, how did Gukesh feel after this victory? As usual, calm as ever. No dramatic celebrations. Just a composed 18-year-old who had just beaten the World No.1 in classical chess… and quietly walked into the post-game interview with a humble smile.

Victory over World No. 1... fine... what's a big deal? | Photo: Michal Walusza

During the time scramble, my heart was just going crazy. I was just trying to calm myself down. I was like, ‘Okay, I did not lose this game’—and two seconds later, I realised I won this game. - Gukesh said.

It was one of those wild, roller-coaster games where everything flipped suddenly!

One thing that I learned from this tournament is that time scrambles can get too much out of control. - Gukesh admitted.

Just a few days ago, after his win over Gukesh, Magnus had tweeted: “When you come at the king, you best not miss.” This was Carlsen’s reminder of who still rules the chessboard. And well… Gukesh heard that… and he didn’t miss this time.

When he was asked how important this win was to him personally, he said, “For the tournament, it’s quite important. I am back to 50% at classical. And also first classical win against Magnus… not the way I wanted it to be, but I will take it.” What really stood out was his honesty about how hopeless the position once looked.

Basically, I had no hope. I could very well resign in that position. But I just thought I will play some moves. 99 out of 100 times, anybody will lose this. But thanks to the time control in this tournament! Although it’s classical, after 3 hours, it’s basically a rapid game. And in faster time control, anything can happen. - Gukesh expressed.

Sometimes I feel like Gukesh doesn’t play chess, he fights! Even in equal to lost positions, he keeps the hope alive. He waits for his chance. And when it comes, he grabs it.

Well, even if Gukesh was not celebrating this win, the chess fans were jumping with joy. The World Champion had just defeated the World No.1… and that too on his home turf in Norway. Of course, the social media lit up. Tweets, reels, hot takes, and even memes started pouring in! Let’s take a look at how the world responded to this epic moment. Everyone’s first reaction was…

Everyone was replaying the final moments of the game that turned everything around.

These pictures took me back to the final moments of Game 14 from the Ding vs Gukesh World Championship: