New Delhi, June 2 (IANS) Former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has lauded reigning World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju for his first-ever win in a classical chess against the world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.

Gukesh pulled off a sensational victory, defeating hometown hero Carlsen in the classical format during the sixth round of the Norway Chess.

“A moment of triumph! Congratulations @DGukesh on beating World’s No.1 Magnus Carlsen in Round 6 of #NorwayChess! A incredible feat in your journey, here’s for more to come,” Dhawan posted on X.

Carlsen seemed to be on his way to extending his lead in Norway Chess 2025 by another three points with a second win against World Champion Gukesh. In a losing endgame, however, the 19-year-old Indian pounced on a blunder and turned the game around, winning it himself—his first classical win against Carlsen.

“There was not much I could do. I just had to make the most of it,” Gukesh said after the match. “I was making moves that were tricky for him, and luckily he got into a time scramble. One thing I’ve learned from this tournament is that time scrambles can get out of control.”

Visibly frustrated Carlsen slammed the chessboard and exited the arena. Gukesh, in contrast, celebrated quietly with his coach Grzegorz Gajewski, savouring a win.

Asked about this behavior, Gukesh later said that the reaction was understandable in context and even added: “I’ve also banged a lot of tables in my career!”

The two had clashed earlier in the tournament’s opening round, where Carlsen had edged out a win with his trademark endgame precision. This time it was Gukesh who held his nerve when it mattered most.

Norway Chess is one of the world’s premier chess tournaments, bringing together the top male and female players in a distinctive 6-player double round-robin format.

–IANS

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