Latest news with #NorwayChessGames
Mid East Info
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mid East Info
Chess stars turn cowboys for a day at Norway Chess games 2025 - Middle East Business News and Information
In a dramatic twist from the chessboard to the Wild West, the world's top chess players swapped pawns for pistols, sieves, and lassos in this year's edition of Norway Chess Games. Held on a tournament rest day, the tradition of light-hearted competition continued in unforgettable fashion with the 'Chess Cowboy Challenge', a high-spirited showdown in Westernbyen, a Western-themed village in Ålgård, just outside Stavanger. This year's participants was -the star-studded lineup from Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh was unfortunately not able to join, and stepping in was Ella Carlsen, wife of Magnus, proving to be quite the sharpshooter in more ways than one. Adopting their new Western personas, the players embraced the theme wholeheartedly: Magnus 'The Lone GOAT' Carlsen Caruana 'The Sicilian Sniper' Hikaru 'The Blitz Bandit' Nakamura Arjun 'No Slip' Erigaisi Wei 'The Quiet Storm' Yi Gukesh 'The Chennai Sharpshooter' D Vaishali 'The Rising Rider' Rameshbabu Anna 'Ice Veins' Muzychuk Humpy 'The Hammer' Koneru Lei 'The Lockdown' Tingjie Ju 'No-Loss' Wenjun Ella Carlsen (stepping in as an honorary cowgirl) With nicknames as fierce as their over-the-board styles, the competitors were more than ready to tackle the cowboy gauntlet ahead. The Chess Cowboy Challenge took them through a series of wild tasks. They faced the Sheriff's memory test in a jail escape, sought enlightenment by solving the priest's riddle in the chapel, mined for gold, and tried their hand at axe throwing beside the church. Air rifles, lasso tosses, cowboy quizzes at the pleasure house, and classic horseshoe throws added to the flavor of the day, with real horses roaming the scene for that authentic atmosphere. Each team, made up of one male and one female player, competed across all stations as they worked their way through the village. Final Standings: 1st place: Magnus & Ella Carlsen — crowned Chess Sheriffs 2nd place: Hikaru Nakamura & Anna Muzychuk 3rd place: Fabiano Caruana & Vaishali Rameshbabu 4th place: Gukesh D & Ju Wenjun 5th place: Wei Yi & Lei Tingjie 6th place: Arjun Erigaisi & Humpy Koneru About Norway Chess Games Norway Chess Games is an annual tradition held during the tournament's rest day. It gives the world's best players a break from intense competition and a chance to connect in creative, unexpected ways. Previous editions have included: Chess Chefs – a culinary battle where players cooked for top chefs – a culinary battle where players cooked for top chefs Cake Decorating Challenge – full of icing, sprinkles, and strategy – full of icing, sprinkles, and strategy Farmer for a Day – featuring hand-milking cows and driving tractors – featuring hand-milking cows and driving tractors Design Your Own Knit Sweater– where players designed patterns later hand-knitted into real sweaters as unique keepsakes
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
From Gukesh 'The Chennai Sharpshooter' D to Magnus 'The Lone GOAT' Carlsen: Chess stars turn Cowboys
ANI Chess stars turn Cowboys In a dramatic twist from the chessboard to the Wild West, the world's top chess players swapped pawns for pistols, sieves, and lassos in this year's edition of Norway Chess Games. Held on a tournament rest day, the tradition of light-hearted competition continued in unforgettable fashion with the "Chess Cowboy Challenge", a high-spirited showdown in Westernbyen, a Western-themed village in Algard, just outside Stavanger. This year's participants were the star-studded lineup from Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh was unfortunately not able to join, and stepping in was Ella Carlsen, wife of Magnus, proving to be quite the sharpshooter in more ways than their new Western personas, the players embraced the theme wholeheartedly: Magnus "The Lone GOAT" Carlsen Caruana "The Sicilian Sniper" Hikaru "The Blitz Bandit" Nakamura Arjun "No Slip" Erigaisi Wei "The Quiet Storm" Yi Gukesh "The Chennai Sharpshooter" D Vaishali "The Rising Rider" Rameshbabu Anna "Ice Veins" Muzychuk Humpy "The Hammer" Koneru Lei "The Lockdown" Tingjie Ju "No-Loss" Wenjun Ella Carlsen (stepping in as an honorary cowgirl) With nicknames as fierce as their over-the-board styles, the competitors were more than ready to tackle the cowboy gauntlet ahead. The Chess Cowboy Challenge took them through a series of wild tasks. They faced the Sheriff's memory test in a jail escape, sought enlightenment by solving the priest's riddle in the chapel, mined for gold, and tried their hand at axe throwing beside the church. Air rifles, lasso tosses, cowboy quizzes at the pleasure house, and classic horseshoe throws added to the flavour of the day, with real horses roaming the scene for that authentic team, made up of one male and one female player, competed across all stations as they worked their way through the village. 1st place: Magnus & Ella Carlsen -- crowned Chess Sheriffs. 2nd place: Hikaru Nakamura & Anna Muzychuk. 3rd place: Fabiano Caruana & Vaishali Rameshbabu. 4th place: Gukesh D & Ju Wenjun. 5th place: Wei Yi & Lei Tingjie. 6th place: Arjun Erigaisi & Humpy Koneru.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Grandmasters to Gunslingers: Carlsen, Gukesh, and a Wild West break
Stavanger: Gukesh D wanted one more shot with the axe. Arjun Erigaisi didn't mind trying out a seat on the pony. Vaishali Rameshbabu took aim with the air rifle. Koneru Humpy couldn't stop beaming after her shots landed on target. India's chess stars rarely give much away — in emotion, expression, or even words — once a tournament is underway. With blinkers on, all their focus has been firmly on the board during Norway Chess here. But for a couple of hours on the first rest day, Friday, they let their guard down. At Ålgård's Westernbyen, a rustic outdoor getaway about half an hour's drive from Stavanger, the Norway Chess Games posed a very different kind of challenge — far removed from the quiet, indoor intensity of classical chess. Of shooting with an air rifle. Of hurling a heavy axe at a target and making sure it sticks. Of landing a horseshoe on a distant pole. Of striking the perfect pose with a horse. Every year, Norway Chess plans a new surprise as part of the Games — kept under wraps even from the players. On Thursday, his 19th birthday, Gukesh said he felt confident tackling anything sports-related but admitted he wasn't so sure about his cooking skills — a nod to last year's challenge. As he arrived at Westernbyen on a gloomy afternoon, Gukesh took a moment to scan the place and figure out what lay ahead. Posters reading 'Wanted — Gukesh, the Chennai sharpshooter' were pasted around the grounds, adding to the intrigue. Every player had their own, including 'Magnus, the lone GOAT Carlsen.' But once the games got underway, the Indian world champion began to warm up to it. Paired with fellow world champion Ju Wenjun of China, Gukesh was eager to try everything — and, true to form, excel at it. He was among the few to nail the horseshoe challenge, and though none of his axe throws initially stuck to the target, he was determined to have another crack at it once the activities wrapped up. Sure enough, he nailed it on his final attempt. Vaishali was paired with American Fabiano Caruana, and Arjun with Humpy. The two Indians often chatted in Telugu. Arjun took a keen interest in trying different poses with the pony, while Humpy's shooting skills — last tested years ago at childhood balloon stalls — remained sharp. She wished her daughter had been there and proudly kept the sheet that proved her two shots had pierced the circle. 'Maybe a second career awaits,' she joked. After an hour of light-hearted competition and plenty of smiles, the winning pair was declared: Carlsen and his wife, Ella Victoria Malone.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Cowboy hats, leather boots: At Norway Chess games, grandmasters wander out of comfort zone of 64 squares on rest day
About 50 people burst into applause as a lasso from world champion Gukesh almost lands on the neck of a wooden bull that he's supposed to rein in. Someone informs Ju Wenjun, the women's world champion and his partner in the challenge, that so far Gukesh has come the closest to throwing the lasso around the neck of the wooden bull. 'That's good, but do we get any points?' the Chinese grand master wants to know. Welcome to the Norway Chess Games, an annual rite that happens every year on the first rest day of the tournament. It's an occasion for players to let their hair down while still competing with each other in unique challenges. Or, in this case, wear their cowboy hats, sport Texas-style leather boots and giddy up for little side quests while forgetting the tension of chess just for a few hours. The idea of the event has been to take the players out of their 64-squared comfort zones. In past editions of Norway Chess, players like five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand have had to milk cows, cook halibut with hollandaise sauce, and drive tractors. Other contests have included fencing, archery, playing football while being in a zorb ball, making designs for sweaters. After missing the event last year, this year's Norway Chess Games takes the contests to another level by incorporating multiple tasks. Barring Sara Khadem, who was under the weather, all the players competing in the tournament gathered at Westernbyen, a cowboy ranch of sorts in Algard on Friday. Carlsen competes with his wife Ella since Khadem has dropped out. Gukesh is paired with Wenjun, Arjun Erigaisi and Koneru Humpy join hands in an all-India team while Vaishali is partnered with Fabiano Caruana. The Carlsens win the event, finishing just ahead of Hikaru Nakamura and Anna Muzychuk. The highlight of the day is the Carlsen couple casually roasting each other while also egging each other on in events like lasso throwing. Each team of two had to go around the facility competing in various tasks which earned them points: there is rifle shooting, axe throwing, lasso throwing, horseshoe pitching and quiz questions. And to top it all off, there's also a challenge called 'posing aesthetically with a pony', which requires players to get on top of the horse to gain bonus points. A few adventurous ones do this, like Ella, Arjun and Humpy. Gukesh and Wenjun excuse themselves after the Chinese almost pulls a muscle while trying to mount the horse the first time. Humpy is among the best at rifle shooting, hitting one in the 10 ring and then proudly taking the target home as a keepsake. 'I wish my daughter was here. She would have really enjoyed this,' she says with a grin. At the other end, Wei Yi, who is partnered with compatriot Lei Tingjie, nails a horseshoe pitch. Past editions of the Norway Chess games have led to some hilarious tales that will go down in chess folklore. There was the time when Dutch GM Anish Giri tried to warm up for an event by running laps around an athletics track. But by the time he finished his warm up laps, he was so out of breath that he could not compete. But the most famous tale at the event is when former world champion Ding Liren joined hands with Anand to compete in the cooking contest and win, despite having a fractured hip. The story goes that Ding had gone cycling on the rest day in the morning and had crashed, leading to a hip injury. But he thought he could walk it off, so despite being in severe pain, he had shown up for the cooking contest to partner Anand. He spent the whole contest in a chair, unable to stand up, but ended up chopping veggies for Anand. Recently in an event organised by Norway Chess in Mumbai, Anand had called winning that cooking contest as his favourite memory from the event. 'Ding couldn't even move. He could not get out of the chair. He could just cut the vegetables. He cut them so accurately, slicing them in perfect cubes. We were given halibut and we were supposed to prepare it with hollandaise sauce,' Anand recently recollected. Anand recalled that one of the reasons he loved that win was because other competitors like Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier Lagrave had spent time talking up their cooking abilities. Levon bragged in great detail about how he had learnt cooking from his great grandmother. He said he had amazing recipes for Thai dishes. Maxime, meanwhile, just said that he was French so he was a great hand at cooking. Anand admits to making one blunder at the event: he put the fish into the oven and pressed a button. He thought the oven was on, but realised five minutes later it wasn't. 'I lost some time there. But my hollandaise sauce was apparently perfect,' Anand said before pointing out that his wife had tasted it and given it her seal of approval. 'But I suffered when I had to milk a cow one year. I won the cooking show but the cow milking did not work out well,' Anand had recently admitted on the Norway Chess broadcast where Gukesh spoke about his experience in 2023 when players were asked to design a sweater pattern and then knit it. He was then asked if he was ready to compete at whatever the organisers had in store for him on Friday. When asked if he would like dancing, he said he would do okay with that. 'As long as there is no cooking and there is some sport I should do okay,' he grinned. (The writer is in Stavanger at the invitation of Norway Chess) Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
