The 13th edition of Norway Chess concluded on June 6th, with unforgettable moments both on and off the board. GM Magnus Carlsen captured his seventh Norway Chess title, and GM Anna Muzychuk emerged victorious, becoming the 2025 Norway Chess Women Champion after a brilliant run.

But this year’s tournament wasn’t just about titles—it was about making history.

Norway Chess 2025 brought major moments—like the much-talked-about “fist slam” during the first game between Magnus Carlsen and the newly crowned World Champion Gukesh D. since Gukesh’s title win. The match had been highly anticipated, and Gukesh delivered by beating Carlsen in classical chess. The tournament stayed tense until the very end, with several players still in the running on the final round day. Millions followed the action from around the world.

For the second year in a row, Norway Chess Women ran parallel to the main event with the same format and equal prize fund, once again setting the standard for gender equality in professional chess. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated partners who made this vision possible.

The main super tournaments were accompanied by a vibrant program of side events:

• Norway Chess Open brought together over 190 players from 34+ countries, offering a stage for both titled veterans and emerging talents—and awarding multiple title norms.
• At the Children’s Chess Tournament (OKEA Parksjakk), young players competed in a festive outdoor setting in Bjergstedparken, celebrating chess, teamwork, and the next generation of talent.
• Norway Chess Games was held on one of the tournament rest days. 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.
• The multi-disciplinary conference Norway Summit gathered global leaders and innovators for a day of insight, dialogue, and strategic vision—where chess met technology, innovation, and economics.

To the players who gave everything at the board.
To the fans who followed from every corner of the world.
To our incredible staff, volunteers, and partners—thank you.

And of course, huge congratulations to our 2025 champions:
🏆 Magnus Carlsen – Norway Chess
🏆 Anna Muzychuk – Norway Chess Women

Norway Chess Standings:

1st Place Magnus Carlsen

2nd Place Fabiano Caruana

3rd Place Dommaraju Gukesh

4th Place Hikaru Nakamura

5th Place Arjun Erigaisi

6th Place Wei Yi

Norway Chess Women Standings:

1st Place Anna Muzychuck

2nd Place Lei Tingjie

3rd Place Koneru Humpy

4th Place Ju Wenjun

5th Place Vaishali Rameshbabu

6th Place Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

The celebrations on Saturday, June 7th, included a special player’s party and a closing ceremony. Players of each tournament, Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women, shared a prize fund of 1,690,000 NOK, received the Norway chess – Réti mark II watch by Von Doren, and a commemorative award plaque.

Garden Party 

  

 

Photos: Norway Chess / Roza Czarnota. More images from the Garden Party on Flickr.

Before the closing ceremony on the evening of Saturday, June 7, the players were invited to a garden party at the Norway Chess offices, where they enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere with food, drinks, and good conversation.

Closing ceremony

 

  

 

Photos: Norway Chess / Michal Walusza. More images from the Closing Ceremony on Flickr.

The Norway Chess closing ceremony was a festive conclusion to an exciting tournament. Hosted by Keti Tsatsalashvili, the evening featured a three-course dinner, engaging speeches, the premiere of the official Norway Chess Games video, a musical performance by Norwegian rapper and songwriter Myra, and the highlight of the night—the prize ceremony for both Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women.

Norway Chess Open

In addition to the main Norway Chess tournaments, we also hosted the Norway Chess Open. Held from May 26 to June 1 at the IMI Forum in Stavanger, the 2025 Norway Chess Open brought together more than 190 players from over 34 countries, including 45+ titled players across the GM and ELO groups. The tournament was a week of fierce competition, international camaraderie, and standout performances.

In the GM Group, GM Vitaly Kunin claimed first place, followed by GM Lev Yankelevich and FM Torben Knuedel, who also earned an IM norm. The event saw a total of five title norms achieved, including WIM norms for two young female players. In the ELO Group, Snorri Vikanes Bjarnason took the top prize, with strong performances across all rating categories.

Notable recognitions included IM Shri B Savitha as Best Female Player in the GM Group and Olha Apostolakii in the ELO Group. The Open continues to grow as one of Europe’s most dynamic chess competitions—where future grandmasters are made.

 

 

Photos: Norway Chess / Roza Czarnota. More images from Norway Chess Open on Flickr.

Children’s Chess Tournament (OKEA Parksjakk)

On May 28, Norway Chess and sponsor Okea hosted a Children’s Chess Tournament in Bjergstedparken, bringing together 32 teams from 30 schools. Played on oversized, eco-friendly boards from Fundación RMD, the event focused on teamwork, learning, and fun.

Stangeland School won the elementary division and will travel to Spain this autumn to compete internationally. Skeiane won the middle school division and will play a simul against Ju Wenjun ahead of the prize ceremony on June 7th.

Huge thanks to OKEA ASA and Fundación RMD for helping us make it happen!

 

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Photos: Norway Chess / Roza Czarnota. More images from Okea Parksjakk on Flickr.

Norway Chess Games

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.

Read more about this year’s Norway Chess Games, and watch the aftermovie below:

Norway Summit 2025 – The Next Move

Norway Summit 2025 brought together thought leaders, innovators, and changemakers for a day of inspiring discussions and bold insights at Fiskepiren in Stavanger. The one-day conference delivered a dynamic mix of economic perspectives, personal stories, and global challenges, framed through both traditional expertise and creative thinking.

Read more about this year’s conference here.

 

 

Photos: Norway Chess / Roza Czarnota. More images of Norway Summit 2025 on Flickr.

3 broadcast studios

This year, we had 3 independent broadcasting studios at the playing venue, Finansparken.

Norway Chess’ Own Broadcast, available in:

• SonyLIV in India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

• Netease Sports in China

• Sina Weibo in China

• Arena Sport in Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro

• Sportspass in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany

• YouTube (available in select countries only)

 

 

TV2 Sport

Available on TV and online. The host for the TV2 Sport broadcast was Fin Gnatt. Expert commentators in the studio included Jon Ludvig Hammer, Hans Olav Lahlum, and Maud Rødsmoen.

 

Chess.com

This year’s Chess.com studio featured Jovanka Houska, David Howell, Tania Sachdev, and Daniel Rensch.

 

 

Norway Chess 2025 delivered intensity, inspiration, and moments we’ll be talking about for years to come.

We hope you enjoyed this recap. Have a great summer, everyone!