By Jon Manley
Magnus Carlsen scored a crucial win over Fabiano Caruana in Stavanger to keep his narrow lead. He admitted afterwards that he had found it difficult to recover his motivation after his loss to Gukesh: ‘The dream of playing a really good tournament burst with that game.’
The dramatic finish has already inspired a meme thanks to an X post by the French football club Paris Saint-Germain.
What it felt like winning our first UCL ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/uNajUVPe33
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) June 4, 2025
Carlsen expects an unpredictable and exciting ride with Black against Erigaisi in the final round: ‘Playing Arjun is a little bit like playing Ivanchuk back in the day – someone who really doesn’t play for a lot of draws.’
When asked about the likely Candidates for the world title, Carlsen felt that on current form either Caruana, Nakamura or Nepomniachtchi would be the favourite in a match against Gukesh. Gukesh kept his hopes of winning the event alive after Wei Yi sacrificed his queen for unfavourable complications. He remains just half a point behind the World no.1, with everything to play for. Facing Caruana with Black, his best chance might be in the speed tiebreak.
Nakamura will be gunning for victory in his classical game with Wei Yi, hoping for a three-way tiebreak for 1st on 16pts. In the women’s event, Anna Muzychuk played the best game of the day, a farsighted exchange sacrifice that left Ju Wenjun in a positional straitjacket.
Koneru Humpy lost a piece and the game to Lei Tinggei but still enjoys a one-pont lead over her nearest rivals. Beating an off-form Ju Wenjun tomorrow would clinch it, but Muzychuk will be pressing Vaishali Rameshbabu hard to assert her claim. Follow the live action at Chess.com, with lively commentary from Tania Sachdev, Jovanka Houska and David Howell.
