The lineup for the Norway Chess tournament set to be held May 26 onwards in Stavanger, Norway has been confirmed, with Magnus Carlsen and current FIDE world champion Gukesh D both confirmed as participants in the 13th edition of the six-man event this summer.
A double round-robin style tournament, Norway Chess will be the first time that five-time world champion Carlsen will play against Gukesh in classical chess since Gukesh’s crowning victory in Singapore last year.
Gukesh became the youngest world champion in the history of chess when he beat Ding Liren of China in a decisive game 14 victory, and has quickly risen through the rankings in recent months to establish himself as one of the faces of chess for the future.
However, this will mark a big test for Gukesh, with Carlsen still considered the best chess player in the world. Carlsen has recently stepped away from classical chess events, only participating in a career-low 18 games of classical chess in 2024 and choosing to focus on faster time controls as well as the new Freestyle Chess initiative that has seen him at odds with chess’ governing body.
Strong field announced for Norway Chess
Along with Gukesh and Carlsen, there are a host of other big-name players who will be present in Stavanger for the tournament, with American grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamure as well as Gukesh’s Indian compatriot Arjun Erigaisi set to compete in the competition. Wei Yi of China will be the sixth grandmaster to close out the list.
“We are extremely satisfied with the field we have this year,” said Kjell Madland, CEO of Norway Chess, to Chess.com. “It’s a mix of young and strong players and some more established ones. It was important for us that we also had a variety of nations, such as China, India, and the U.S.A. It’s going to be very exciting.”
Recently, Gukesh finished runner-up in the prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament held annually in the Netherlands, reaching the final stage but falling short against another young compatriot in Praggnanandha.
Gukesh briefly rose to number three in the classical chess rankings during the tournament, but slipped back down to five at the end of the tournament. He will be looking to climb further up the rankings in 2025, with the focus being his world championship defence in 2026.
