Stavanger: World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen added another feather to his illustrious cap by winning the Norway Chess 2025 title on home soil. The five-time World Champion, playing white, drew his final classical round against India’s Arjun Erigaisi. The result left the door open for his closest rival, D. Gukesh, who needed a win over Fabiano Caruana to claim the crown.

But in a shocking twist, Gukesh faltered under time pressure. With just two seconds left on the clock, the Indian prodigy blundered his queen promotion in a balanced position against Caruana and was forced to resign on the spot. The costly error dashed his hopes of overtaking Carlsen and ultimately secured the title for the Norwegian legend.

Carlsen concluded the tournament with 16 points, narrowly edging past Caruana, who capitalised on Gukesh’s mistake to finish second with 15.5 points. Gukesh, despite an otherwise stellar run, finished third with 14.5 points.

Just a day earlier, Gukesh had defeated China’s Wei Yi in Round 9, closing in on Carlsen by narrowing the gap to just half a point — setting the stage for a nail-biting finale.

In the women’s section, Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk emerged victorious. Needing only a draw in her final game against India’s R. Vaishali, Muzychuk displayed steely resolve to secure the half point. India’s Koneru Humpy, who could have overtaken Muzychuk with a win against China’s Ju Wenjun, fell short as their game ended in a draw.