The youngest-ever world champion in Chess, Gukesh Dommaraju face the mighty Magnus Carlsen, who's the world's highest-rated player, in a highly-anticipated contest at next year's Norway Chess. The tournament will begin on May 26 and end on June 6, 2025 in Stavanger. Gukesh is just 18 years old and he has done something incredible this year winning the Tata Steel Masters, leading India to gold at the Chess Olympiad, dominating the Candidates Tournament, and finally claiming the throne - ultimate prize in classical chess: the World Championship title in Singapore last week.
"I'm excited to face the strongest players in the world again in Norway and also the Armageddons will be fun," Gukesh said in a media release, as per PTI.
In 2023, Gukesh claimed third place in Stavanger. Now, he returns as the reigning World Champion, poised to face Carlsen on his home turf. Will the rising star clinch victory, or will Carlsen's experience and home advantage tip the scales?
"This matchup is truly unique, and it’s thrilling to see the World Champion face off against the world’s highest-rated player," said Kjell Madland, founder and tournament director of Norway Chess.
"The whole world will be watching, and the Norway Chess team is proud to host such an incredible event here in Stavanger."
Gukesh Dommaraju made history as the youngest World Chess Champion by defeating Ding Liren, but Magnus Carlsen has no intention of challenging the 18-year-old Indian prodigy for the title. Carlsen, who stepped away from the championship in 2022 citing a "lack of motivation," dismissed any interest in a title match, stating he’s "not part of this circus anymore."
Despite his stance, Carlsen congratulated Gukesh for an outstanding performance against Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship, adding that Gukesh had always been his favorite to win the match.
"It's not going to be me. I mean, let's talk about Gukesh and the match and so on. I’m not part of this circus anymore," Carlsen said on the Take Take Take YouTube channel.
"Of course, this was something that was a bit unexpected. A lot of us thought that Gukesh was the favourite to win the match, but this was a game that never really took off. Gukesh was clearly fighting for the win. I think he was doing an excellent job to keep the game alive," he added.
Here are some details about Norway Chess where Gukesh will face Magnus...
Format: Norway Chess stands among the world's elite chess tournaments, featuring the top male and female players in a unique six-player double round-robin format.
When and where the tournament will take place?
The tournament will take place in Stavanger from May 26 to June 6, 2025.
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