Norway Chess 2025: Gukesh beats Arjun; Fabiano Caruana leads after round 7

STAVANGER (Norway): Round 7 of Norway Chess 2025 brought thrilling games across all boards. One of the standout games featured reigning World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh against fellow Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi, according to a release from Norway Chess.

Erigaisi seized the initiative of the opening, launching what appeared to be a powerful and potentially decisive attack. However, Gukesh demonstrated exceptional defensive resilience, steering the game into a complex endgame. In a dramatic time scramble, Gukesh held his nerve and ultimately secured a hard-fought victory.

The handshake!

Gukesh Dommaraju beats Arjun Erigaisi for the first time in classical chess! Another win from a much worse, or nearly lost, position!#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/4uz4hFiJ5c

— chess24 (@chess24com) June 2, 2025

Meanwhile, Fabiano Caruana capitalised on an early advantage against birthday celebrant Wei Yi, navigating a long, tense endgame to secure a well-earned win. The last game of the day, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen against Hikaru Nakamura, ended in a short draw. Carlsen prevailed in the Armageddon game, securing the crucial extra points.

Ju Wenjun leads at Norway Chess Women. Another intense round unfolded at the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament. World Champion Ju Wenjun delivered a commanding performance to defeat Sarasadat Khademalsharieh in a long endgame in their classical encounter.

The other classical win of the day came from Tingjie Lei, who scored an impressive victory with the white pieces against Vaishali Rameshbabu. The game between Humpy Koneru and Anna Muzychuk saw a lot of piece exchanges that led to a fairly quiet draw. Muzychuk triumphed in the Armageddon game, securing the extra points. (ANI)