The Norway Chess tournament format, with sudden death following drawn matches, offers an exhilarating experience and might be crucial for classical chess's survival against the freestyle variant, where the initial positions are randomly determined. The fifth day in Stavanger, Norway, was a thrilling spectacle, with Magnus Carlsen, Yi Wei, and Arjun Erigaisi overcoming their opponents Fabiano Caruana, Dommaraju Gukesh, and Hikaru Nakamura, respectively, in tiebreakers. Carlsen, who was on the brink of losing, now leads after five rounds in a ten-round double leg competition among six players.

The slow-paced matches lasted over four hours, filled with tension as Carlsen, Erigaisi, and Gukesh nearly faced defeat. However, Carlsen managed to reverse his situation and left Wei with a draw, despite Wei's efforts. Carlsen defended a passive position from the opening, but Caruana made a couple of errors in the middle game. Later, under intense time pressure, Caruana missed a clever maneuver that could have toppled the world number one.

As the players took a breather before the sudden death or Armageddon (10 minutes for Caruana playing white, who needed to win, and 7 minutes for his opponent, with a one-second increment per move from move 41), memories of the Carlsen-Caruana World Championship in London 2018 surfaced, where all twelve classical games ended in draws, but Carlsen won the rapid tiebreak decisively (0-3).

In the first twenty moves, it seemed Caruana might defy expectations as Carlsen made a mistake on move 21, yet his opponent couldn't capitalize effectively. From that point forward, burdened by the necessity to win, Caruana's performance declined until he was defeated. A similar fate befell Erigaisi, who turned a winning position into a losing one against Nakamura, only for Nakamura to make a blunder that led to his surrender.

The match between Wei and Gukesh was even more electrifying, with both players having little time for moves and several played with only a second left. Wei showcased accuracy, calmness, and refined technique to achieve an undeniable victory.

Carlsen, who favors freestyle after relinquishing the classical world title in 2022, briefly spoke with journalists before rushing to watch the second half of the PSG-Inter European Cup final. His words were telling: "I struggled in the slow-paced match because I'm not up to date with classical opening theory, as I play few tournaments. Fabi knew how to lead me into territory where he was comfortable, and I wasn't." He then commented on the Norway Chess format: "I really enjoy sudden death, but also the classical pace here because we don't get extra minutes after move 40 control, only ten seconds per move, creating tremendous pressure, much more demanding than in regular tournaments."

Spanish player Sara Khadem continues to face challenges in the women's tournament due to health issues. On Thursday, after defeating China's Tingjie Lei, she visited the emergency room, where her antibiotic dosage for tonsil problems was increased. She must take four doses daily, undoubtedly affecting her gameplay quality, leading to her loss to India's Rameshbabu Vaishali. Indian Koneru leads after winning a tiebreak where she was losing from the opening against Lei.

Fifth round results: Erigaisi vs. Nakamura, draw, white wins; Yi Wei vs. Gukesh, draw, white wins; Caruana vs. Carlsen, draw, black wins. Women's tournament: Khadem vs. Vaishali, 0-3; Anna Muzychuk vs. Wenjun Ju, draw, draw; Koneru vs. Tingjie Lei, draw, white wins.

Standings: 1st Carlsen 9.5; 2nd Caruana 8; 3rd Nakamura 6.5; 4th Erigaisi 6; 5th-6th Gukesh and Yi Wei 5.5. Women's tournament: 1st Koneru 8.5; 2nd Anna Muzychuk 8; 3rd Ju 7; 4th Vaishali 6.5; 5th-6th Khadem and Lei 5.

Sixth round (Sunday, 17:00, live broadcast on the official portal): Erigaisi vs. Yi Wei; Nakamura vs. Caruana; Gukesh vs. Carlsen. Women's tournament: Khadem vs. Anna Muzychuk; Vaishali vs. Koneru; Wenjun Ju vs. Tingjie Lei.