Gukesh and Erigaisi Lead India at Norway Chess Tournament
World chess champions D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi are set to represent India at the upcoming Norway Chess tournament, taking place from Monday. They will face off against high-profile players, including world-renowned challengers Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura.
In the opening round, Gukesh will go head-to-head with Magnus Carlsen, the world’s top-ranked player. Meanwhile, Erigaisi, a newcomer to this prestigious event, will kick off his campaign against China’s Wei Yi.
Gukesh noted the challenge of playing with the black pieces against Carlsen, as both players are eager to make a strong start. This match marks their first classical encounter since Gukesh became the world champion late last year, making it an important game for both players.
“It’s definitely exciting to start the tournament against Carlsen,” Gukesh said. “But in a tournament like this, you have to play all opponents with both colors, so it balances out. We’ll both aim to perform well from the very first round.”
He also mentioned that getting into top form can be tricky at the start of a tournament but is looking forward to the challenge ahead.
Carlsen, on his part, acknowledged uncertainty about what to expect due to limited recent play in classical chess.
When and Where to Watch Norway Chess in India
Fans in India can catch the Norway Chess matches live on Sony Liv, and there will also be live streaming available on YouTube. The highly-anticipated match between Gukesh and Carlsen is scheduled to begin at 10:30 PM IST.
Norway Chess 2025 Line-Up
Open Section:
- Magnus Carlsen (Norway) – World No. 1
- Fabiano Caruana (USA) – World No. 2
- Hikaru Nakamura (USA) – World No. 3
- Arjun Erigaisi (India) – World No. 4
- D Gukesh (India) – World No. 5
- Wei Yi (China) – World No. 9
Women’s Section:
- Ju Wenjun (China) – World No. 2
- Lei Tingjie (China) – World No. 4
- Humpy Koneru (India) – World No. 6
- Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) – World No. 9
- Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) – World No. 19
- Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain) – World No. 21
With both excitement and anticipation in the air, chess enthusiasts can look forward to thrilling matches at this year’s Norway Chess tournament.
