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Indian Express
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Fabiano Caruana has painful slip up vs Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh's winning streak ends, ‘Human' Magnus Carlsen blunders whole piece in loss
'This tournament could have very easily been over,' declared Hikaru Nakamura on the Norway Chess broadcast with an undisguised smile on his face as he watched his ashen-faced compatriot Fabiano Caruana extend his hand in resignation to Arjun Erigaisi in round 8 of the strongest invitational tournament of the year. But with two rounds remaining at Norway Chess, the tournament is anything but over. Arjun's victory in 71 moves over leader Caruana ensured that at least five players head into the second rest day of the tournament with their tails up: leader Caruana (12.5 points) finds himself being chased by Magnus Carlsen (12), Nakamura (11.5), Gukesh (11.5), and Arjun (10.5). Wei Yi is last with eight points, but each outright win earns players three points, meaning two straight wins against his next two opponents Gukesh and Nakamura might just ensure him a title. It's very unlikely. But on a day when Carlsen had blundered an entire piece against him for no compensation in return — and then lost! — the Chinese grandmaster cannot be faulted for believing in miracles. Arjun's win over Caruana was another reason to believe in miracles. Till Arjun had made his 49th move, the American was winning. The game, and possibly, the Norway Chess title. But the time control at Norway Chess — with players getting just 120 minutes on the clock, with 10-second increments kicking in from move 41 — has been brutal for all players. World champion Gukesh struggled with it for his first two games. So have other players. On Tuesday, it was Caruana's chance to blink under time pressure. As he made the 49th move, the eval bar was indicating a runaway win for Caruana. 'I'm not sure where the help is coming from (for Arjun), there are so many threats. Caruana is getting to your king, one way or another,' said Cristian Chirila, one of Caruana's seconds and the co-host of the C-Squared Podcast with the American GM, at one stage on the Norway Chess broadcast. But at that stage, Caruana had just 40 seconds on his clock. Arjun had a minute and 54 seconds. Over the next eight moves — 49… Be4 (mistake with Re4 being the best as per engine) 50. Qf4 Qxc3 (inaccuracy with Ra2 being the best move) 51. Be3 Bg6 52. g4 hxg4 53. h5 Bxh5 54. Qf5+ Bg6 55. Qxg4 Qe5+ (blunder with Qc7+ being best move) 56. Rg3 Qh5+ (mistake with Qxg3+ being best move) — Arjun and the oppressive clock had fashioned a turnaround. What was also notable was that in that phase, Caruana had gobbled up three of Arjun's pawns. And yet, his position was worsening on the board. 'This game pretty much symbolises Arjun's style. Go crazy, try to play for tactical chances everywhere, sometimes it's going to work, sometimes it's not going to work!' Nakamura said. 'If you look at yesterday, I got the sense that when Arjun was down a pawn and then down two pawns, he was still trying to play for complications and trying to win the game. I feel that this is a similar situation. Always going for complications. It's insane actually.' For the last two games, Gukesh has managed to turn around losing positions to fashion wins over Carlsen and Arjun. But Nakamura was in no mood to allow the Indian teenager similar concessions. Nakamura gained an edge on the board by move 20 and never relinquished his grip on the game — unlike Carlsen and Caruana — gaining tiny advantages till Gukesh resigned on move 50. 'Gukesh's results have been very good. But if we're being objective about the chess, I think he's played horribly (at Norway Chess),' Nakamura told Indian media after the win. 'He should have lost to Magnus. He was completely lost against Arjun. Even against Fabiano, he was also losing in that game. So it's very, very hard to judge what his play is.' Nakamura then praised Gukesh for his mental resilience. 'When I look at his game, one of the big things that he has that I would say Arjun and Praggnanandhaa don't have is that he's very mentally strong. I think he's a lot less emotional than the other two players. And that has served him very well, especially in this tournament,' said Nakamura before praising Gukesh's defensive skills. 'Today, I thought there were probably three or four moments when I was winning. But even then I still had to find more moves to convert. He's definitely showing very, very strong defensive skills.' Elsewhere, the Wei Yi vs Carlsen game saw the world no 1 blunder a knight in the Armageddon after he had evaded his opponent's tactic to play out a quick draw in the classical portion. As soon as Wei picked off Carlsen's undefended knight, the former world champion laughed at himself for making such an error. Wei explained later that because of his defeat in the previous round, he had been unable to sleep. Consequently he had tried to play out an easy draw in the classical against wantaway Carlsen and then take his chances in the Armageddon format, where the player with white pieces (in this case Wei) has 10 minutes to get a win while the player with black pieces has just seven minutes, but they only need to draw to be victorious. 'I was happy to beat Magnus but I want to say sorry this time,' Wei said later like tennis players do when they win a point with the ball hitting the net cord. 'In Armageddon he just blundered in a solid position.' 'I think Magnus is getting used to joining the club, being human. Obviously, as you get older, you start to make more mistakes,' Nakamura said in an interview with Take Take Take. 'I actually thought my game against him yesterday, Armageddon, was extremely sloppy by both of us, so it's not a huge surprise. But I think after that loss to Gukesh, Magnus just kind of zoned out completely. Happens.' (The writer is in Stavanger at the invitation of Norway Chess. Norway Chess is live streamed on Sony LIV.) Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Norway Chess: Magnus Carlsen stays top of standings; Koneru Humpy takes sole lead
extend his lead in the Norway Chess tournament following an Armageddon victory over Fabiano Caruana, while Hikaru Nakamura suffered a devastating loss to Arjun Erigaisi after blundering from winning positions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The day featured three Classical draws followed by three decisive Armageddon games, with Wei Yi defeating World Champion D Gukesh in the tiebreaker. In the women's section, Koneru Humpy took sole lead after winning her Armageddon game against Lei Tingjie. Carlsen maintained his position atop the standings despite facing early difficulties against Caruana in their classical encounter. The World No. 1 admitted to being unprepared for Caruana's opening choice in the Ruy Lopez. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. "I was just kicking myself for—just why did I not anticipate this earlier?" Carlsen said about his improvised response. Carlsen acknowledged his recent approach to chess theory has changed: "Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn't." He noted that he hasn't followed theory as closely as during his 2021 world championship preparation, though he remains aware of top-level games. In the Armageddon game, Carlsen secured a commanding position early and converted his advantage after Caruana's error. Nakamura experienced a particularly frustrating day, missing winning chances in both games against Arjun Erigaisi. The classical game saw Nakamura gain an early advantage but fail to convert his extra pawn. The Armageddon game proved even more dramatic, with Nakamura blundering away a winning position. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Wei Yi continued his impressive Armageddon performance, securing his third such victory of the tournament. After missing a win in the Classical game against Gukesh, Wei prevailed in the tiebreaker through superior control of the dark squares. In the women's section, R Vaishali scored the day's only Classical victory, defeating Sara Khadem in what she described as "a very smooth" game. "This win feels good. The first few games did not go my way. I hope I'll have a good tournament from here on!" Vaishali said after her victory propelled her from last place to fourth in the standings. Exclusive | Arjuna Awardee Vantika Agrawal: 'People still ask, 'Chess is fine, but what do you really do?'' Ju Wenjun maintained her unbeaten classical record while securing her fourth Armageddon win of the tournament against Anna Muzychuk. This result, combined with Humpy's victory over Lei, established Humpy as the sole leader at the tournament's midway point. The tournament structure awards three points for classical wins and one point for draws, with an additional half-point available through Armageddon games. The competition continues with Round 6 on Sunday, featuring a rematch between D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen, with the World Champion seeking revenge for his first-round defeat. The tournament runs through June 6 in Chess: Magnus Carlsen stays top of standings; Konery Humpy takes sole lead
Mint
5 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
Birthday boy D Gukesh beats world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana at Norway Chess 2025: What is Armageddon tie-break?
On his birthday, May 29, Indian chess grandmaster D Gukesh beat world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana in a tense tie-break at Norway Chess 2025. Though Caruana had a pawn edge, Gukesh defended well for over four hours to draw the main game. The current world chess champion, who turned 19, held Caruana to a draw in the classical game with smart endgame play. Caruana defended hard but couldn't stop him. After 51 moves, with checkmate coming, Caruana resigned. Gukesh's sharp tactics and aggression gave him a well-earned win. Gukesh lost a pawn early and was in a tough spot. The game had strict time rules, with only 10 seconds added per move. But, the youngest world champion stayed calm under pressure and handled the tricky position well. Gukesh played fearlessly in the Armageddon tie-break, where he had to win as White. "The Classical game could have easily gone bad, but luckily, I managed to save it in the time scramble, and then Armageddon was very good," Gukesh said after the win. An Armageddon tie-break is a special chess game used to break a tie when players draw a match. In this game, White gets more time (usually 10 minutes), and Black gets less time (usually 7 minutes). However, Black only needs a draw to win the match. White must win to win the match. It's called 'Armageddon' because it's the final, do-or-die game to decide a winner quickly. D Gukesh now has 4.5 points in the tournament, which is led by Magnus Carlsen with 8 points. Gukesh, who earlier defeated world No.2 Nakamura, spoke about playing on his birthday. "Most of my birthdays I end up losing the game, so glad it did not repeat in the classical. When I was playing, I felt fine, but when I was losing, I was like, 'ok, not again'," PTI quoted Gukesh as saying. World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen defeated Indian chess grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi in a sharp endgame to earn three full points. Playing with white, Carlsen used the English Opening and outplayed Erigaisi, who suffered his second loss in two days. The Norwegian champion, though happy with the result, said he had played slowly due to tough choices in an unfamiliar position. "You get presented with more and more difficult choices and eventually you go wrong," he said. Magnus Carlsen remains the defending champion. Earlier, Magnus Carlsen seemingly called himself the 'King of Chess' after beating world champion D Gukesh in the first round of Norway Chess 2025. Playing with white, Carlsen used his endgame skills well as Gukesh made a key mistake under pressure. Though Gukesh started strong, Carlsen took control by move 18 and didn't give him a chance to recover. 'I wasn't too happy to get into the end game because there's a little bit of imbalance there, but I think he did well for a while, we got into a position where both have passed pawns and then anything can happen,' Carlsen said after the win.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Norway Chess: Gukesh wins thriller against Caruana, Erigaisi loses to Carlsen
Reigning world champion D Gukesh emerged the winner in a thrilling Armageddon tie-break against American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana but Arjun Erigaisi succumbed to Magnus Carlsen's intuitive skills on a mixed day for the Indians in the 'Open' category of Norway Chess in Stavanger. World No. 3 Caruana enjoyed a pawn advantage for most part of the Round 4 game against his Indian opponent, who turned 19 on Thursday (May 29, 2025), but the American could not convert it into a significant advantage in over four hours of engrossing chess thanks to Gukesh's superb defensive skills. The Armageddon tie-break was applied to break the stalemate. Both Gukesh and Erigaisi are now tied fourth in the six-payer field with 4.5 points apiece, while Carlsen is the sole leader with 8 points, followed by Caruana on 7 and American GM Hikaru Nakamura on 5.5. With Gukesh, playing with white pieces and having a huge three-minute advantage in Armageddon – white gets 10 minutes and black seven – after coming out of a tricky situation during the Classical slugfest less than 15 minutes earlier, the Indian overpowered Caruana on the clock to take 1.5 points from the game. A win in the Classical format earns the players in this double-round robin format tournament three points, while a draw fetches them one point each. However, the players have to immediately play the Armageddon tie-break to break the deadlock. Gukesh, following his magnificent Classical win in the third round against world No.2 Nakamura and a thrilling come-from behind victory against Caruana, is on 4.5 points in a six-player field led by five-time world champion Carlsen, who is in sloe lead with eight points. Gukesh later said that he doesn't really enjoy playing on his birthday but would gladly take this crucial morale-boosting win. "Most of my birthdays I end up losing the game, so glad it did not repeat in the classical. When I was playing, I felt fine, but when I was losing, I was like, 'ok, not again'," said Gukesh. The youngest world champion found himself down a pawn in a very tricky position early in the contest. With the unforgiving time control in place, where only a 10-second increment per move is given instead of 30 seconds after the 40th move, the situation can quickly get out of control, but Gukesh kept his balance to emerge from the tough situation and take the match in the Armageddon tie-break – something which is not his forte. "The Classical game could have easily gone bad, but luckily, I managed to save it in the time scramble, and then Armageddon was very good," he said later. Erigaisi loses to Carlsen World No. 1 Carlsen showed his tactical superiority in the endgame against India No. 2 Erigaisi, who played with black pieces, to earn three full points. The Norwegian superstar, who had lost two Armageddon games in the last two rounds, made a strong statement with this win on home turf. This was the second setback for Erigaisi in two days after he had lost to Caruana in Round 3. Carlsen played the English Opening against Erigaisi and was content with the outcome, but less with the speed at which he was playing. The Norwegian ace explained his hesitation to go for quick moves later, saying it was down to the number of choices he faced in an unfamiliar position. "You get presented with more and more difficult choices and eventually you go wrong," said Carlsen, the defending champion. Koneru Humpy in joint lead In another action-packed day in the women's section, India's R. Vaishali earned a crucial half point by overcoming Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk in the Armageddon tie-break, while world champion Wenjun Ju beat Koneru Humpy in the time-controlled format after a stalemate in the Classical game. Humpy, though, still shared the lead with Muzychuk on seven points each, while Vaishali was placed 6th with 3.5 points. Results: (Open) Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 8 points) bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind, 4.5 points); D Gukesh (Ind, 4.5 points) bt Fabiano Caruana (USA, 7 points) in Armageddon tie-break; Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 5.5) lost to Wei Yi (Chn, 4). (Women) Sara Khadem (Esp, 5) bt Li Tingjie (Chn, 4); Ju Wenjun (Chn, 5.5) bt Koneru Humpy (Ind, 7) in Armageddon tie-break; R. Vaishali (Ind, 3,5) bt Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 7) in Armageddon tie-break.
Deccan Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
Norway Chess: Gukesh wins thriller against Caruana, Erigaisi loses to Carlsen
World No. 3 Caruana enjoyed a pawn advantage for most part of the Round 4 game against his Indian opponent, who turned 19 on Thursday, but the American could not convert it into a significant advantage in over four hours of engrossing chess thanks to Gukesh's superb defensive skills.
