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Anand confident ahead of Gukesh vs Carlsen clash at Norway Chess: 'Indian men's chess is at its peak'
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand is super excited about the big clash between India's young star Dommaraju Gukesh and world no.1 Magnus Carlsen at the upcoming Norway Chess 2025 tournament. Anand backed Gukesh ahead of the much-anticipated match, calling it a 'perfect storm.'
Anand backs Gukesh against Carlsen
'We have the perfect storm. Gukesh won't be lacking motivation. But Magnus, too, is inspired by the challenge of facing our young talents. We can expect some epic battles,' Anand said.
Anand also talked about India's rise in chess. 'Indian men's chess is at its peak. And with Humpy and Vaishali both competing, our women's game is on the rise too.'
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The tournament will take place in Stavanger, Norway from 26 May to 6 June. Gukesh, who is just 18 years old, has not been in great form in the recent past. Although, he recently became the world's youngest classical world chess champion, led India to gold at the Chess Olympiad, and also won the Tata Steel Masters, he hasn't performed at his best.
Gukesh finished 11th out of 12 players in the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025, where Carlsen took the first prize. He also failed to do well in the Weissenhaus leg, where he took the eighth spot in the final standings. Carlsen secured the third spot in the same event. It will be interesting to see how Gukesh performs against the five-time world champion in Norway.
Norway Chess 2025 is packed with top players. Big names like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi, and Wei Yi will be playing in the men's category. The women's group is also strong, with Ju Wenjun, Koneru Humpy, Vaishali Rameshbabu, and Anna Muzychuk. Both groups will play under the same format and will get equal prize money.
Norway Chess 2025 men's lineup
Magnus Carlsen (Norway) – World No. 1
Fabiano Caruana (USA) – World No. 2
Hikaru Nakamura (USA) – World No. 3
Arjun Erigaisi (India) – World No. 4
Gukesh D (India) – World No. 5
Wei Yi (China) – World No. 9
Norway Chess 2025 women's lineup
Ju Wenjun (China) – World No. 2
Lei Tingjie (China) – World No. 4
Humpy Koneru (India) – World No. 6
Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) – World No. 9
Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) – World No. 19
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain) – World No. 21
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