In a thrilling Round 4 of the 2025 Norway Chess tournament, Indian prodigy D Gukesh celebrated his 19th birthday with a remarkable victory over World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in an Armageddon tiebreak, while compatriot Arjun Erigaisi faced a setback against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.
Gukesh’s Birthday Triumph
Facing Caruana, Gukesh managed to hold a challenging classical game to a draw, despite being a pawn down. In the subsequent Armageddon tiebreak, where White must win and Black needs only a draw, Gukesh, playing White, showcased aggressive tactics and sharp endgame play to secure a victory. This win marked his second consecutive triumph, following a classical win over Hikaru Nakamura in Round 3.
Carlsen’s Commanding Performance
Magnus Carlsen demonstrated his endgame mastery by defeating Arjun Erigaisi in the classical game, regaining the sole lead in the tournament with 8 points. Carlsen’s strategic prowess and composure under pressure were evident as he capitalized on Erigaisi’s inaccuracies to clinch the win.
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Standings After Round 4
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Magnus Carlsen – 8 points
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Fabiano Caruana – 7 points
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Hikaru Nakamura – 5.5 points
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Arjun Erigaisi – 4.5 points
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D Gukesh – 4.5 points
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Wei Yi – 4 points
The tournament features a unique scoring system: 3 points for a classical win, 1.5 points for an Armageddon win, and 1 point for an Armageddon loss.
With a rest day scheduled for Friday, the competition will resume on Saturday, May 31, with Carlsen set to face Caruana in a highly anticipated matchup.
