Magnus Carlsen Reveals Feeling 'Washed And Useless' After 'Painful And Dumb' Loss To D Gukesh

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Magnus Carlsen won his seventh Norway Chess title, despite a "painful" loss to World Champion D Gukesh.
Nobody likes losing, let alone those who reign at the top. Magnus Carlsen is no exception to the same, as the World No 1 revealed the internal battles after suffering a 'painful…dumb' loss to reigning World Champion D Gukesh at Norway Chess.
The 34-year-old Norwegian secured his seventh Norway Chess title, where he beat the likes of Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Wei Yi, Fabiano Caruana, and Hikaru Nakamura to once again stake his claim as the best in the world.
But, even the best have their embarrassing slip-ups. At the end of the day, one wrong move is all it takes to change an entire game.
And that is exactly what happened at the tournament in a crucial match between Carlsen and Gukesh, where the Norwegian succumbed to a now-popular loss against the Indian teenager.
Carlsen, who was visibly upset over the loss, ended up slamming the table before regaining composure and shaking hands with Gukesh.
While his reaction has now prompted a series of remarks on the internet, including criticism from many, Carlsen himself opened up on the same and revealed the thought process behind his reaction.
'That was a really painful loss. Those hit a lot harder," Carlsen revealed in an interview on Pardon My Take.
'Honestly, part of me, when I had that loss (to Gukesh) recently, just felt it was so dumb and so unnecessary. It just made me feel so kind of washed and useless that my thought for a few days was just 'I'm not sure why I'm doing this.' When I win, it's good, but it feels kind of normal. Then when I lose, it's just, you know, for a moment, the world just falls apart."
Well, thankfully for Carlsen, salvation was near, and he would attain the same, as the five-time World Champion secured the Norway Chess crown after a dramatic final round where his closest challenger, Gukesh, faltered at the last hurdle.
It marked Carlsen's seventh triumph at his home event and underscores his enduring dominance in the classical format, despite stepping back from World Championship competition.
He finished with 16 points, half a point ahead of Caruana, who capitalized on Gukesh's error to claim second place with 15.5 points, while Gukesh, who has had an up-and-down year as the reigning World Champion, had to settle for third with 14.5 points.
First Published:
June 20, 2025, 09:48 IST