On his 19th birthday, reigning World Chess Champion D Gukesh secured a crucial victory in Norway Chess 2025 Round 3 by defeating World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura of the United States, earning three vital points and ending his tournament winless run.
Reflecting on the win, Gukesh said, “I feel quite good! I think my time management was much better today than before. He had some drawing chances, but overall it was a good game,” in a video shared by Norway Chess.
Asked about the possibility of Armageddon tie-breaks, Gukesh added, “Yeah, at some point it will come for sure. But right now, I’m just happy with this.”
Earlier in the tournament, Arjun Erigaisi defeated Gukesh in Round 2, extending his perfect classical record against the champion to 6-0. Gukesh had also lost to World No.1 Magnus Carlsen on the opening day.
Prior to this win, Gukesh had not scored any points and was placed at the bottom of the six-player leaderboard. The victory against Nakamura is seen as a key momentum shift for the young champion as he aims to climb back in the standings.
(ANI)