Gukesh, Arjun are ‘very good’ but need time to prepare: Magnus Carlsen after Norway Chess win

STAVENGER(Norway): 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.

#WATCH | Stravanger, Norway | Norway Chess 2025 winner Magnus Carlsen says, “I feel great. It is a relief to win the tournament. In the end, it was such a rollercoaster, but it is good.”

On D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi, he says, “They are all very good, but they still need a… https://t.co/D6wzvZk7Tv pic.twitter.com/3SfWaMM2yf

— ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2025

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.

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. (ANI)