Latest news with #Erigaisi
Mint
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
D Gukesh suffers crushing loss against Hikaru Nakamura at Norway Chess, Koneru Humpy regains sole lead
American GrandMaster Hikaru Nakamura broke world champion D Gukesh's run of classical wins by comprehensively beating the Indian to earn three full points even as Arjun Erigaisi roared back to contention with victory over Fabiano Caruana in Norway Chess 2025. India's Erigaisi trapped his opponent Caruana in a time scramble in the eighth round of the prestigious tournament on Tuesday. World No. 2 and former Norway Chess champion Nakamura pressed home the early advantage he got with the white pieces to dominate his 19-year-old opponent and score a "very smooth" victory and take revenge for his Round 3 loss to the Indian. Gukesh, who had regained his mojo after a disappointing start to the tournament when he beat world No.1 Magnus Carlsen and Erigaisi in Round 6 and 7 respectively, was cornered by Nakamura, who didn't give his opponent an inch during the course of the nearly four-hour-long contest. With two more rounds to go, Gukesh was tied for third place with Nakamura on 11.5 points, while American GM Caruana, despite the loss to Erigaisi, was in the lead with 12.5 points. Carlsen, who lost to China's Wei Yi in the Armageddon tie-break, was second with 12 points, while Erigaisi was fifth with 10.5 points. "It was a very smooth game, I'm very happy with it. It looks very good," said Nakamura after the win. The 37-year-old Nakamura, winner of the 2023 edition of Norway Chess in which Gukesh finished third, said that the reigning world champion was uncomfortable with the pawn structure, which probably resulted in him coming under time pressure and giving an easy win to the American. "I'm not sure what happened, whether Gukesh just didn't know this bishop g6 move, or what exactly it was, but it was very clear to me that, based on the long think, he didn't like the pawn structure at all," said Nakamura, who at 15 years of age had become the youngest American GM. Nakamura expressed surprise over Gukesh's play in the tournament so far, saying he was lucky to have survived Carlsen and Erigaisi in Round 6 and 7 respectively. "It's a very strange term, because his result is very good, but if we're being objective about chess, I think he's played horribly. He should have lost to Magnus… he was completely lost against Arjun (Erigaisi). "Other than the first game against me, and maybe the game against Wei Yi, at some point, he was losing; even Fabiano (Caruana), he (Gukesh) was also losing in that game," said Nakamura. 'So, it's very, very hard to judge what his play is, but when I look at his game, one of the big things that he has, that I would say Arjun and R. Praggnanandhaa don't have, is he's mentally very strong. He's a lot less emotional than the other two players, and that has served him very well, so it's a mixed bag.' Nakamura added, "I think his defensive skills are very good, like in this game, I thought there were probably three or four moments when I was winning, and then I had to still find more moves to convert, so he's definitely showing very strong defensive skills." Two-time world rapid champion, India's Koneru Humpy wrested back the lead with two rounds to go, beating Spanish International Master Sara Khadem in the day's only classical win. Humpy, on 13.5 points, was one point ahead of reigning world champion China's Ju Wenjun. Ju's six-match winning streak was broken by R. Vaishali -- who is fifth on 9.5 points -- in the Armageddon tie-break.
Deccan Herald
2 days ago
- General
- Deccan Herald
Processing emotions quickly and remaining focused key to Gukesh's success: Coach Gajewski
A calm Gukesh got the better of Erigaisi a day after catching Carlsen off-guard to secure his first Classical win against his Indian opponent to make it two wins in a row, which placed him in contention for the title
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
Gukesh overcomes Erigaisi challenge to jump to second spot in Norway Chess
Reigning world champion D Gukesh continued to turn adversity into opportunity as he wriggled out of a virtually intractable position to beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi for the first time ever in a classical game and jump to sole second position after round 7 of the Norway Chess. As has been the trend in Gukesh's campaign in this elite six-payer double round-robin tournament, the teenager, playing with white, showed nerves of steel to secure his second consecutive win, without going through the rigmarole of an Armageddon tie-break, to take sweet revenge for his loss to Erigaisi earlier in Round 2. The win, which came after a nerve-wracking victory against defending champion and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, saw Gukesh, 19, overtake the 34-year-old Norwegian on the points table with 11.5 points. This was also Gukesh's first win in three attempts against Erigaisi, who had beaten the world champion at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee to spoil his title-winning chances, and then again in Round 2 here. With three more rounds to go, pole sitter American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Wei Yi of China, is on 12.5 points. Carlsen is third with 11 points following his Armageddon win against another American Grandmaster and world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, who is fourth with 8.5 points. Erigaisi dropped to fifth position with 7.5 points following the loss, while Wei Yi is placed sixth with 6.5 points. For the first three-and-a-half hours of the game, Gukesh was on the defensive but finally managed to up his game to earn a win, tying down his opponent in time trouble. Erigaisi faltered that wee bit, which gave Gukesh an opening that he exploited and forced his opponent to resign after some intense play. "Probably I was just losing it at some point. I was just slowly getting outplayed. From the opening nothing went my way but once I got to this position I just had to keep making moves which doesn't lose on the spot and in the time scrambles things happen," Gukesh told the broadcaster after the match. Analysing the game, Gukesh's Polish coach Grzegorz Gajewski said, though it was not the best game played by the reigning world champion but he was happy that he had pulled it off. "Probably not his best game ever, at least not the first half of the game, but definitely a very good second half of the game, so happy with that." On whether the win on Monday was because of a change of mindset following Gukesh's come-from-behind victory against Carlsen on Sunday, Gajewski said, "When you're in such trouble (as in Sunday's game) and you keep fighting and you get rewarded for it, you have even more faith that it makes sense to keep fighting. "So, on the very next day (against Erigaisi), when you're again in trouble, you definitely know what to do, you just keep fighting," opined Gukesh's coach. He added that Gukesh was aiming for playing the perfect games, where the margin of error was bare minimum, which was finally contributing to his success here. "He's demanding the very highest level of accuracy and precision from you (opponent), and if you're not up to it, you might mess up the position even if you're number one in the world, said the Pole. On whether the win against Erigaisi was bigger than the victory over Carlsen, given that Gukesh had never beaten his Indian counterpart ever in Classical chess before the win on Monday, the coach said, "Yes, definitely, Erigaisi is a very difficult opponent to beat, but I would not compare the two games. You really have to achieve a lot to be compared with Magnus in any regard. (For Monday's game) Gukesh was just focused. It was nice, definitely very nice yesterday (to beat Carlsen), but today is a new challenge and after that there is another challenge. "Gukesh was just making moves; he was completely in the zone from the first move to the last move He has extraordinary calculation abilities, which combined with his fighting spirit help him defend so many positions, added the Pole. The Carlsen vs Nakamura game was interesting as the two players agreed to a draw after just 21 moves, with both having about an hour-and-a-half each left on the clock. In the Armageddon, Carlsen defeated the world No.2 to log in 1.5 points. In the women's section, Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk got the better of two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy in Armageddon tie-break, while GM R. Vaishali fell apart in time trouble against China's Lei Tingjie. Ju Wenjun is leading the table with 11.5 points, followed by Muzychuk (11 points) in second and Humpy in third with 10.5 points. Results (Round 7) =========== Open: D Gukesh (Ind 11.5 points) bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind 7.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA 12.5) bt Wei Yi (Chn 6.5); Magnus Carlsen (Nor 11) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA 8.5) in Armageddon tie-break. Women: Lei Tingjie (Chn 9) bt R Vaishali (Ind 8); Ju Wenjun (Chn 11.5 points) bt Sara Khadem (Esp - 6); Koneru Humpy (Ind - 10.5) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr 11) in Armageddon tie-break.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Norway Chess 2025: Gukesh gets first classical win over Erigaisi; Humpy third in women's section
Reigning world champion D. Gukesh pulled off a gritty escape to beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi for the first time in classical chess, jumping to sole second after Round 7 of the Norway Chess tournament. Playing with white, Gukesh was on the back foot for over three hours but held firm under pressure. He seized his chance when Erigaisi faltered in time trouble and forced resignation after a tense battle. 'Probably I was just losing it at some point… I just had to keep making moves, which doesn't lose on the spot and in the time scrambles, things happen,' Gukesh said after the win. The 19-year-old now has 11.5 points, leapfrogging defending champion Magnus Carlsen (11), who beat Hikaru Nakamura in Armageddon. Arjun dropped to fifth with 7.5. Fabiano Caruana leads the standings with 12.5 points after defeating Wei Yi, who remains bottom with 6.5. Nakamura is fourth on 8.5. In the women's section, Ju Wenjun leads with 11.5 points. Anna Muzychuk (11) beat Koneru Humpy (10.5) in Armageddon. R. Vaishali lost to China's Lei Tingjie in time trouble. This was Gukesh's second straight classical win — no tie-break required — and a revenge of sorts for his Round 2 loss to Erigaisi. The victory also followed a comeback win over Carlsen in Round 6. Gukesh's coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, acknowledged it wasn't his cleanest performance but praised the resilience. 'Probably not his best game ever... but definitely a very good second half of the game,' he said. 'When you're in such trouble and you keep fighting and get rewarded for it... you have even more faith that it makes sense to keep fighting.' Gajewski credited Gukesh's mindset shift and relentless accuracy: 'He's demanding the very highest level of precision... and if you're not up to it, you might mess up—even if you're number one in the world.' Asked whether the win over Erigaisi meant more than beating Carlsen, the coach replied, 'Yes, definitely, Erigaisi is a very difficult opponent to beat... but I would not compare the two games.' 'Gukesh was just making moves; he was completely in the zone... His extraordinary calculation abilities, combined with his fighting spirit, help him defend so many positions.' Results (Round 7) Open: D Gukesh (Ind – 11.5 points) bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind – 7.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA – 12.5) bt Wei Yi (Chn – 6.5); Magnus Carlsen (Nor – 11) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA – 8.5) in Armageddon tie-break. Women: Lei Tingjie (Chn – 9) bt R Vaishali (Ind – 8); Ju Wenjun (Chn – 11.5 points) bt Sara Khadem (Esp - 6); Koneru Humpy (Ind - 10.5) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr – 11) in Armageddon tie-break.
Mint
2 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
Gukesh overcomes Erigaisi challenge to jump to 2nd spot in Norway Chess after victory against world No.1 Magnus Carlsen
World champion D Gukesh, 19, turned a difficult position into a win, beating compatriot Arjun Erigaisi for the first time in a classical game. With this win in round 7 of the Norway Chess tournament, he moved into second place on his own. It comes after a nerve-wracking victory against defending champion and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen. As has been the trend in Gukesh's campaign in this elite six-payer double round-robin tournament, the teenager, playing with white, showed nerves of steel to secure his second consecutive win, without going through the rigmarole of an Armageddon tie-break, to take sweet revenge for his loss to Erigaisi earlier in Round 2. The win saw Gukesh overtake the 34-year-old Norwegian on the points table with 11.5 points. This was also Gukesh's first win in three attempts against Erigaisi, who had beaten the world champion at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee to spoil his title-winning chances, and then again in Round 2 here. With three more rounds to go, pole sitter American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Wei Yi of China, is on 12.5 points. Carlsen is third with 11 points following his Armageddon win against another American Grandmaster and world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, who is fourth with 8.5 points. Erigaisi dropped to fifth position with 7.5 points following the loss, while Wei Yi is placed sixth with 6.5 points. For the first three-and-a-half hours of the game, Gukesh was on the defensive but finally managed to up his game to earn a win, tying down his opponent in time trouble. Erigaisi faltered that wee bit, which gave Gukesh an opening that he exploited and forced his opponent to resign after some intense play. "Probably I was just losing it at some point. I was just slowly getting outplayed. From the opening nothing went my way but once I got to this position I just had to keep making moves which doesn't lose on the spot and in the time scrambles things happen," Gukesh told the broadcaster after the match. Analysing the game, Gukesh's Polish coach Grzegorz Gajewski said, though it was not the best game played by the reigning world champion but he was happy that he had pulled it off, mentioning, "Probably not his best game ever, at least not the first half of the game, but definitely a very good second half of the game, so happy with that." On whether the win on Monday was because of a change of mindset following Gukesh's come-from-behind victory against Carlsen on Sunday, Gajewski said, "When you're in such trouble (as in Sunday's game) and you keep fighting and you get rewarded for it, you have even more faith that it makes sense to keep fighting. "So, on the very next day (against Erigaisi), when you're again in trouble, you definitely know what to do, you just keep fighting," he added. He further stated that Gukesh was aiming for playing the perfect games, where the margin of error was bare minimum, which was finally contributing to his success here. "He's demanding the very highest level of accuracy and precision from you (opponent), and if you're not up to it, you might mess up the position even if you're number one in the world,' said Pole said. On whether the win against Erigaisi was bigger than the victory over Carlsen, given that Gukesh had never beaten his Indian counterpart ever in Classical chess before the win on Monday, the coach said, "Yes, definitely, Erigaisi is a very difficult opponent to beat, but I would not compare the two games. 'You really have to achieve a lot to be compared with Magnus in any regard. (For Monday's game) Gukesh was just focused. It was nice, definitely very nice yesterday (to beat Carlsen), but today is a new challenge and after that there is another challenge. Gukesh was just making moves; he was completely in the zone from the first move to the last move… He has extraordinary calculation abilities, which combined with his fighting spirit help him defend so many positions,' Pole added. The Carlsen vs Nakamura game was interesting as the two players agreed to a draw after just 21 moves, with both having about an hour-and-a-half each left on the clock. In the Armageddon, Carlsen defeated the world No.2 to log in 1.5 points. In the women's section, Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk got the better of two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy in Armageddon tie-break, while GM R. Vaishali fell apart in time trouble against China's Lei Tingjie. Ju Wenjun is leading the table with 11.5 points, followed by Muzychuk (11 points) in second and Humpy in third with 10.5 points. Open: D Gukesh (Ind – 11.5 points) bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind – 7.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA – 12.5) bt Wei Yi (Chn – 6.5); Magnus Carlsen (Nor – 11) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA – 8.5) in Armageddon tie-break. Women: Lei Tingjie (Chn – 9) bt R Vaishali (Ind – 8); Ju Wenjun (Chn – 11.5 points) bt Sara Khadem (Esp - 6); Koneru Humpy (Ind - 10.5) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr – 11) in Armageddon tie-break.
