Norway Chess: Gukesh defeats Hikaru Nakamura hours before turning 19
Gukesh Dommaraju was besieged by a long line of autograph seekers at the Finansparken Bjergsted after he finally ended his losing streak at the Norway Chess tournament, defeating tournament leader Hikaru Nakamura in 42 moves on Wednesday. By the time an unhappy-looking Nakamura resigned, it was already midnight in India, which means Gukesh had turned 19. But in Stavanger, he was still a few hours away from turning 19.
The win was significant for the reigning world champion, who lost his first two games at the tournament to Magnus Carlsen and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi. But then, he rebounded by taking down Nakamura after rejecting his draw offer on move 30.
For the past two days, Gukesh has power-walked his way out of the building after losing his games. But on Wednesday, he took his time to sign every piece of paper and every chess board put in front of him. He also posed for many selfies from kids, occasionally breaking into a smile for any of them.
He was met by his long-time coach Grzegorz Gajewski near the exit. The Polish coach first started travelling full-time with Gukesh at the Norway Chess tournament in 2023 and the duo have had significant success in recent past, winning the Candidates tournament in 2024 and then becoming the youngest world champion in history by defeating Ding Liren last year. But the past few months have been rough on the duo, with success being at a premium.
'Obviously the last two games were kind of tough,' Gukesh said after the win. 'Today I just tried to play it as a fresh tournament.'
'I feel quite good. I think my time management was much better today than before,' Gukesh said after the game. 'He had some drawing chances, but I guess overall it was good.'
Asked if he had any plans to celebrate his birthday, Gukesh said: 'I mean during tournaments it's always about the game. I just want to play a good game, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results.'
Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
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