Round 3 of Norway Chess 2025: Caruana Takes the Lead
Round 3 of Norway Chess 2025 was packed with surprises and drama.
Fabiano Caruana Shines
GM Fabiano Caruana bounced back in style. After losing in round one, he defeated GM Arjun Erigaisi to take sole lead in the tournament.
Caruana played an unusual move (7.h4) in the French Defense. Arjun seemed well-prepared but got too optimistic. Caruana explained that Arjun believed he had the advantage, which led to mistakes.
Caruana used his piece activity and Arjun’s exposed king to claim a clean victory. That’s two classical wins in a row for the American Grandmaster. He now leads the tournament and is back as world number-three on the live rating list.
Gukesh’s Birthday Victory Over Nakamura
It was a special day for World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju, who turned 19 during the match. He celebrated in style by defeating GM Hikaru Nakamura.
After two narrow defeats, Gukesh showed strong time management and played confidently. Nakamura pushed for an attack but missed his chance to hold a draw.
Gukesh didn’t let it slip. He punished Nakamura’s mistake (28…Rd8?) and won with cool-headed precision. A huge win for the young champion on his big day.
Here’s Nakamura’s revealing recap of the game
Magnus Carlsen’s Mixed Day
GM Magnus Carlsen had a frustrating day. He drew his classical game against GM Wei Yi but lost the armageddon game.
Carlsen seemed better in the classical phase, but the win slipped away. In the armageddon, a tactical blunder led to a fast defeat.
Despite this, Carlsen moved into second place overall. But he’ll need to improve his sudden-death results to catch up with Caruana.
Women’s Section
Humpy Strikes Back
GM Koneru Humpy bounced back strongly to beat IM Sara Khadem and tie for first with GM Anna Muzychuk.
Humpy launched a kingside pawn storm that crushed Khadem. She now has two classical wins and one loss—no draws yet!
Lei 1-1.5 Muzychuk
Muzychuk, meanwhile, survived a tough position in armageddon against GM Lei Tingjie. She showed resilience and held a draw with the bishop pair after being worse for most of the game.
Ju Wenjun’s Smart Trap
GM Ju Wenjun won her armageddon game against GM Vaishali Rameshbabu in just 19 moves!
She used a clever trap in the French Defense. Vaishali fell for it early and couldn’t recover. Ju is still chasing the leaders but gained momentum with this smooth win.
What’s Next?
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Carlsen vs. Arjun
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Gukesh vs. Caruana
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Ju vs. Humpy
Don’t miss it! Catch the action live on Chess24 YouTube, Twitch, or Nakamura’s Kick channel.
Photos: Michal Walusza, Maria Emelianova, Norway Chess
Source: CHESS.com
