'Gukesh won't be favourite in World Championship match if...': Magnus Carlsen makes strong prediction

Norwegian chess legend Magnus Carlsen has shared his honest thoughts about Indian grandmaster D Gukesh, who won the 2024 World Chess Championship. Carlsen, who recently lost a match against Gukesh at the 2025 Norway Chess, stated that the 19-year-old would lose his title if he were to play a game against Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, or Ian Nepomniachtchi at present.

Carlsen shares his honest thoughts about Gukesh

While praising Gukesh’s achievement, Carlsen said that other top players like Nakamura, Caruana, or Nepomniachtchi would be the favourites if they had won the Candidates and faced Gukesh in a World Championship match right now.

Speaking to Chess24 ahead of the final day of Norway Chess, Carlsen said, "I think if Hikaru (Nakamura) or Fabi (Caruana), or probably Nepo (Ian Nepomniachtchi) for that matter, win the Candidates they would be, at the moment, they would be a favorite in a match against Gukesh. Hikaru’s come close twice. He’s still extremely good so there’s no reason why he couldn’t."

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"Gukesh showed in this tournament he's on track, he's doing fantastic, but he's not ahead of track," Carlsen maintained even after the end of the 2025 Norway Chess.

Carlsen on his performance at Norway Chess 2025

Carlsen also reflected on his own performance at the Norway Chess, which he eventually went on to win despite losing his Round 10 game to Arjun Erigaisi. Gukesh finished third, while Caruana took the second spot in the men's event after their game ended in the American's favour. He admitted that his loss to Gukesh in an earlier round affected his goal of having a perfect tournament.

"Honestly, it could have meant a lot to me if I had finished off the game against Gukesh and then played a really good tournament. Now, regardless of what happens, it would kind of be like a bit of stumbling into a win," Carlsen said.

He explained that even if he ended up winning the tournament, which he did, it wouldn’t feel as satisfying anymore. “There is a very good chance that I don’t win the tournament, but it honestly wouldn’t make that big of a difference to me. The dream of playing a really good tournament burst with that game. Of course I want to win, but it’s not that important,” he said.

“I wanted a score that reflects the fact I think I’m still significantly better at chess and since I couldn’t achieve that, a potential tournament win would not mean as much.”

Norway Chess 2025 Final Standings