D Gukesh's "Shocked" Reaction As Magnus Carlsen Says He Will Quit Classical Chess

NDTV

a day ago

India's own world champion, D Gukesh, is on a roll in the Norway Chess event, having beaten world no.1 Magnus Carlsen in a headline-making clash. However, the defeat for Carlsen also saw the Norwegian even contemplating the decision to quit the classical format of the game. Magnus has been quite vocal about his feelings for the format. He even chose to not defend his 2024 title, suggesting a move away from the format best serves his aspirations. As Gukesh came to know that Magnus has spoken of a move away from classical chess after his defeat against him, he admitted being 'shocked'.
"I did not see that coming. Kind of shocked. Oh, okay, I don't know. It is interesting that he has announced it now. He has been pretty clear about not wanting to play classical. It is a bit sad for the others, but it is his decision," Gukesh told the broadcaster, beating countryman Arjun Erigaisi in Round 7 of the tournament.
The 34-year-old Carlsen, after the defeat against Gukesh, said that he would've beaten Gukesh under normal circumstances. But, he also accepted the Indian's fighting spirit in the Round 6 clash.
"I remember being that age myself, and sometimes your energy, your fighting qualities, and just the sheer optimism can outweigh the actual quality of your moves. For a long time, he [Gukesh] was more or less blindly pushing. And then, yeah, on a normal day, of course, I win that game. Things would look quite different."
"What he does well, as I mentioned, is he fights very, very hard. And he was there to take his chance-so he deserves credit for that," Carlsen said. "But that's the kind of opportunity I really have to shut down. If I don't, I don't stand a chance."
When asked about his future in the format, Carlsen said that he will play the remaining three games of Norway Chess but would have to make some decisions about his future regarding the later tournaments.
"I think I'll play the last three games (in Norway Chess), and then I will have to make some decisions about next year here or potential other tournaments later, because, yeah, I just don't enjoy (classical chess) that much," he said.
When asked if he was actually stepping back from classical events, Carlsen didn't directly say yes but hinted at doing so: "It's possible, yeah. I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm not going to play classical events ever again, but right now it doesn't."
He also said, "The thing is that, you know, losses are painful no matter what, but at least if I can lose doing something that I really enjoy (Blitz, Rapid or Freestyle), then that's much easier. It's not that I cannot play (classical chess), it's just situations like yesterday (loss to Gukesh), I'm just wondering, like, why am I doing this? What's the point?"
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