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Round 8 of Norway Chess: Nakamura Shines, Carlsen & Caruana Stumble
GM Fabiano Caruana is still leading Norway Chess 2025 after round 8. But his loss to GM Arjun Erigaisi in a dramatic time scramble made things tense. Caruana dominated most of the game but cracked under pressure.
GM Magnus Carlsen is now half a point behind in second place. He lost his armageddon game to GM Wei Yi due to a shocking one-move blunder.
GM Hikaru Nakamura jumped to shared third place with a powerful win over World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. It was our Game of the Day, as Nakamura played brilliantly from start to finish.
Women’s Norway Chess: Humpy Takes the Lead
Indian GM Koneru Humpy is now the sole leader in the women’s section. She defeated IM Sara Khadem in the only classical win of the day. With two rounds to go, Humpy leads by one point.
Women’s World Champion GM Ju Wenjun lost in armageddon to GM Vaishali Rameshbabu. GM Anna Muzychuk also won her armageddon game, defeating GM Lei Tingjie.
Round 8 Highlights
Nakamura 3-0 Gukesh
Nakamura expected a quick draw, but Gukesh surprised him with an unusual move on turn 18. That mistake gave Nakamura the opening he needed. He took control of the light squares and launched a perfect attack. It was a model game showing the power of opposite-colored bishops.
Nakamura called it a “smooth” game. He later joked that if he had played better in earlier armageddons, he might be tied for the lead!
Caruana 0-3 Arjun
Caruana played nearly a perfect game against Arjun.nBut in time trouble, he blundered and lost. Arjun defended bravely and turned the tables with sharp moves like 52.g4 and 53.h5. Caruana’s error at move 56 sealed his fate.
Wei 1.5-1 Carlsen
Carlsen drew the classical game with Wei Yi. In armageddon, Carlsen dropped a full piece in one move—a rare blunder. Even Carlsen laughed at himself during the game. He later called his play “pathetic” in a TV interview.
Nakamura commented,
“Magnus is getting used to joining the club of being human.”
Wei Yi now has two armageddon wins over Carlsen in this event. He is aiming to win a classical game in the last two rounds.
Women’s Section: Big Wins and Drama
Khadem 0-3 Humpy
Humpy won a long, 58-move game against Sara Khadem. Despite some time scramble errors, Humpy secured the win with Black. She is now World No. 3 on the live women’s rating list.
Muzychuk 1.5-1 Lei
Muzychuk drew the classical game but struck in armageddon. Lei’s risky exchange sacrifice backfired, and Muzychuk took full advantage.
Vaishali 1.5-1 Ju
Ju Wenjun had never lost to Vaishali—until now. A solid Berlin led to a classical draw, but Vaishali won in armageddon. The key move, 33.f5, turned the game in her favor. She finished in style, beating the reigning world champion.
What’s Next in Round 9?
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Carlsen vs. Caruana will be the must-watch game.
It’s a clash between second and first in the open section. -
Humpy will play Lei with Black.
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Muzychuk vs. Ju will decide who challenges Humpy for the women’s crown.
Photos: Michal Walusza, Roza Czarnota, Norway Chess
Source: CHESS.com
