Carlsen and Gukesh in the mix!
Norway Chess has announced the final lineup of players for its 2025 tournaments, which will take place from May 26 to June 6 in Stavanger. The event will feature both the main Norway Chess tournament and the Norway Chess Women tournament, each following a six-player double round-robin format. The tournaments will bring together some of the strongest players in the world.
The tournament format will once again include the Armageddon tiebreak system. If a classical game ends in a draw, players will immediately contest an Armageddon game to determine the winner. This format, which has been a distinctive feature of Norway Chess in recent years, ensures that every round produces a decisive result and prevents excessive draws.
Among the notable participants in the main event are Gukesh Dommaraju, the youngest world chess champion in history and Magnus Carlsen, the long-time highest-rated player in the world. Additionally, India’s rising star Arjun Erigaisi and China’s number one Wei Yi will make their debut appearances at Norway Chess.
The Norway Chess Women tournament, returning for its second edition, continues Norway Chess’s initiative to provide equal prize funds for female players. The inaugural edition in 2024 was the first super-tournament for women to offer the same financial rewards, structure and venue as the main event. Tournament organizers have emphasized their commitment to maintaining gender equality in chess.
Norway Chess 2025 will also feature a range of broadcast and viewing options, including live commentary, confessional booths and on-site activities for spectators. Extensive television coverage and online streaming will make the games accessible to a global audience. The tournament’s format, lineup and commitment to equality reinforce its position as one of the most significant events in the chess world.
Norway Chess 2025 lineup
- Magnus Carlsen (Norway) – World No. 1
- Fabiano Caruana (USA) – World No. 2
- Hikaru Nakamura (USA) – World No. 3
- Arjun Erigaisi (India) – World No. 4
- Gukesh D (India) – World No. 5
- Wei Yi (China) – World No. 9
Norway Chess Women 2025 lineup
- Ju Wenjun (China) – World No. 2
- Lei Tingjie (China) – World No. 4
- Humpy Koneru (India) – World No. 6
- Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) – World No. 9
- Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) – World No. 19
- Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain) – World No. 21
Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana return to Stavanger | Photo: Stev Bonhage
Master Class Vol.16 – Judit Polgar
In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun won the first edition of the Norway Chess Women tournament | Photo: Stev Bonhage