World Champion D Gukesh pulled off a dramatic comeback to secure his first-ever classical victory over compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in round seven of the prestigious Norway Chess tournament on Monday. The win, achieved from a seemingly lost position, underscored the 19-year-old’s composure and brilliance under pressure.
This stunning result came just 24 hours after Gukesh recorded a career-defining triumph over World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess. The consecutive victories have propelled the Indian prodigy past Carlsen in the tournament standings, placing him second, just behind Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Wei Yi in his own round.
The much-anticipated clash between India’s two brightest young stars did not disappoint. Arjun Erigaisi quickly took the upper hand, steering the game into a sharp, complex middlegame where he outmaneuvered Gukesh and appeared poised for a dominant victory. A miscalculation by Gukesh left him both materially disadvantaged and strategically cornered — a position many experts deemed “nearly lost.”
But Gukesh responded with remarkable resilience and razor-sharp calculation. Refusing to capitulate, he defended tenaciously, gradually equalizing the position through a series of precise and resourceful moves. As the game entered a tense time scramble, it was Arjun who cracked under pressure, offering Gukesh a narrow window of opportunity — one the World Champion seized with surgical precision.
What followed was a clinical display of endgame mastery. Gukesh flipped the momentum and forced resignation from Arjun, capping off one of the most dramatic encounters of the tournament so far. This victory not only marks a personal milestone for Gukesh but also reinforces his rising stature as one of the most formidable players on the global stage. Social media erupted in admiration, with fans and analysts alike hailing the performance as “a masterclass in resilience.”
