♟️ Gukesh vs Carlsen – Norway Chess 2025 Round 6: Deep Super-GM Level Analysis 🗓️ Date: June 1, 2025 🏟️ Event: Norway Chess 2025, Round...
♟️ Gukesh vs Carlsen – Norway Chess 2025 Round 6: Deep Super-GM Level Analysis
🗓️ Date: June 1, 2025
🏟️ Event: Norway Chess 2025, Round 6
👤 White: GM Gukesh D (2787)
👤 Black: GM Magnus Carlsen (2837)
🏁 Result: 1-0 (Gukesh wins)
📖 Annotator: GM Rafael Leitao
🔗 Official Chess.com Article
🎥 Gukesh Reaction Video
🎯 Opening Phase: Berlin Sidestep
-
e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6
Carlsen chooses the Berlin—his go-to against 1.e4. After having trouble with the classical 4...a6 against Caruana in Round 4, this was a pragmatic sidestep.
-
d3 Bc5 5. c3 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. h3 a6 8. Ba4 h6
Prophylaxis against Bg5. White is trying to keep central flexibility.
-
Re1 b5 10. Bc2 Bb6 11. Nbd2 Ne7
The idea is to reroute the knight to g6. This is a thematic maneuver in the Ruy Lopez.
-
a4 Rb8 13. d4 Ng6 14. Nf1 c5 15. Ng3 cxd4 16. cxd4 bxa4 17. Bxa4 Bb7 18. d5 a5
Up to this point, Gukesh is following the modern trend—central control + flank play.
-
Be3 Bc8!
A deep prophylactic retreat. Black plans to reposition the bishop while pressuring b2 and f4.
-
b3 Bxe3 21. Rxe3 Nf4 22. Bc6 Rb4
Black takes control. The a-file is under surveillance and Black has a strong dark-square grip.
🔥 Middlegame Fireworks
-
Qc2 g6! 24. Kh1 Ba6 25. Qa2 Bd3 26. Nd2 h5!
Black now has all pieces pointing at the kingside. The game becomes sharp.
-
Qxa5 Qxa5 28. Rxa5 h4 29. Ra4 Rfb8 30. Ra2 Kg7
Calmness before the storm. Magnus refuses to calculate wild lines prematurely.
-
Ra7 Rd4 32. Nf3 hxg3 33. fxg3 Nxh3
Sharpest continuation. White’s kingside is breaking down.
-
gxh3 Bxe4 35. Kh2 Rd1 36. g4 Bxd5 37. Bxd5 Nxd5 38. Re2 Nf4 39. Rc2 Kf6
Carlsen keeps control, improving the king.
-
h4 Ke6 41. Ng5+ Kd5 42. Ra5+ Kd4 43. Ra4+ Kd3 44. Rf2 f6?
This natural-looking move allows counterplay. Instead, 44... Rh8! would retain winning chances.
-
Rf3+ Ke2 46. Ra2+ Rd2 47. Rxd2+ Kxd2 48. Ne4+ Ke2 49. Kg3 d5 50. Nxf6 Rf8 51. Rf2+ Ke1 52. Nd7
Black is still pushing, but...
52... Ne2+??
💥 Blunder of the tournament. A tactical oversight, leading to a collapse. Better was 52... Re8 with equal chances.
-
Rxe2+ Kxe2 54. Nxf8 d4 55. Ne6 d3 56. Nc5 Ke3 57. Na4 e4 58. h5 gxh5 59. gxh5 Kd2 60. Nb2 e3 61. Nc4+ Ke2 62. Kf4 1-0
🧠 Super-GM Insights
-
Evaluation: Carlsen had a +4.8 advantage before the blunder.
-
Time Pressure: Carlsen had < 5 minutes remaining for 10+ moves.
-
Psychology: Gukesh defended calmly. When asked post-game for his favorite moment, he said: "Beating Magnus was pretty fun!" Carlsen burst into laughter.
📊 Engine Summary (Stockfish 16 @ depth 35)
| Move | Eval (White) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 26... h5 | -1.8 | Winning pressure on kingside |
| 44... f6 | -0.8 | Missed win: Rh8 was stronger |
| 52... Ne2+ | +3.9 | Losing blunder |
| Final Eval | +6.5 | Dominant for White |
🏁 Conclusion: A Historic First
Gukesh becomes the youngest player to beat Magnus Carlsen in classical chess while Magnus was rated above 2800.
This game will be remembered for:
-
Deep dark-square strategy from Carlsen
-
Gukesh's resilient defense
-
A tragic oversight by the Norwegian legend
-
Brilliant technique in the final conversion
Stay tuned for full visual diagrams and embedded PGN in our upcoming interactive chapter.
Would you like this embedded with diagrams, downloadable PGN links, and animated game playback?
No comments