In May 2025, at the elite Norway Chess tournament, something happened that hadn’t in years: the reigning World Champion sat across from Magnus Carlsen — in classical chess, the long, high-stakes format where reputations are truly made.
Carlsen isn’t just any player. He’s the face of modern chess — a former World Champion, global celebrity, and the number one-ranked player in the world for over a decade. He gave up the title by choice, not defeat. And now, for the first time, he faced the teenager who claimed it: 18-year-old D. Gukesh. It wasn’t just a match. It was a collision — of generations, styles, and visions for the future of the game.
Stavanger Ukjent/Norsk Oljemuseum
Stavanger Ukjent/Norsk Oljemuseum
Magnus Carlsen – FIDE / Lennart Ootes
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBase India, “Indian super prodigies Nihal, Pragg and Gukesh in action”, retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGMwKtqROWg&list=PL9WYcwsWaJ7rJdlCGb3LagZnbtAbIUUUO&index=5
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBase India, “Doesn’t Gukesh deserve better?”, retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lV5ZPoFlkI&list=PL9WYcwsWaJ7rJdlCGb3LagZnbtAbIUUUO&index=14
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBase India, “That awkward moment when the game is over and you don’t know what to say! Gukesh vs Srinath”, retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lolAprTN6O8&list=PL9WYcwsWaJ7rJdlCGb3LagZnbtAbIUUUO&index=18
Video excerpt courtesy of Main Island Production (2016), taken from the trailer for the film “Prince of Chess” directed by Øyvind Von Doren Asbjørnsen. Full film available at: http://www.princeofchess.com
Video excerpt courtesy of Main Island Production (2016), taken from the film “Prince of Chess” directed by Øyvind Von Doren Asbjørnsen. Full film available at: http://www.princeofchess.com
Video excerpt courtesy of Main Island Production (2016), taken from the film “Prince of Chess” directed by Øyvind Von Doren Asbjørnsen. Full film available at: http://www.princeofchess.com
Video excerpt courtesy of chess24, “The Magnus Carlsen Story – Part 1: Childhood”, retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZJmIDQ61LI
Video excerpt courtesy of Sýn (previously Channel 2), “Bobby Fischer Airplane Interview Full”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q460DADv4pw&t=372s
©preikestolen-NLE-Film/Region Stavanger Visitors & Convention Bureau
©preikestolen-NLE-Film/Region Stavanger Visitors & Convention Bureau
©preikestolen-NLE-Film/Region Stavanger Visitors & Convention Bureau
©StavangerReg_Grim-Berge-Natural_light-Earth/Region Stavanger Visitors & Convention Bureau
©StavangerReg_Grim-Berge-Natural_light-Earth/Region Stavanger Visitors & Convention Bureau
©stavanger-city-film-credits-nle-film/Region Stavanger Visitors & Convention Bureau
©stavanger-city-film-credits-nle-film/Region Stavanger Visitors & Convention Bureau
Extraction from Prince of Chess directed by Øyvind Von Doren Asbjørnsen. See the whole film here: http://www.princeofchess.com. © Main Island Production -2016
Video excerpt courtesy of InfoJelly, “How did Gukesh reply to Magnus “weak player” remark at Croatia?”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J3iwBQqDto
Video excerpt courtesy of The International Chess Federation (FIDE), “OH MY GOD! Harikrishna slammed the table!”, retrieved from Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK6sMLJs8Qy/?igsh=aXh6czY2czJqMHc3
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBaseIndia, “The most emotional moment for Vasyl Ivanchuk | Ivanchuk vs Naroditsky | World Blitz 2024”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_evi2X-PY0c
Video excerpt courtesy of WION, “Magnus Carlsen Meets 3-Year-Old Chess Prodigy Anish Sarkar | WION Fineprint”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o25qbXuC63o
Video excerpt courtesy of Norway Chess, Chess 24, TakeTakeTakeApp, “Norway Chess 2025 was ABSOLUTE CINEMAAAAA”, retrieved from Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH9JYLVZsbc
Video excerpt courtesy of Norway Chess, “I didn’t want to play CLASSICAL today” MAGNUS beats HIKARU in ARMAGEDDON | Norway Chess 2025”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqwcSY6UXIo
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBaseIndia, “Bro thinks he is Magnus Carlsen #chess#magnuscarlsen#gukesh”, retrieved from Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KVLDUN5Ta90
Video excerpt courtesy of ChessBaseIndia, Magnus Carlsen, “The World’s Most Arrogant Chess Player”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4SxyAbfyuU&t=273s
Video excerpt courtesy of Norway Chess, “The Chess ELO Rating System Explained”, retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtAilcl5md0&t=81s