Latest news with #FreestyleChessGrandSlamTour
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
5 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
D Gukesh 'shocked' to hear Magnus Carlsen thinking about quitting Classical chess: 'Did not see that coming'
World No 1 Magnus Carlsen had hinted at quitting Classical chess, a format he has been critical of in recent months, following his stunning defeat at the hands of reigning world champion D Gukesh in their sixth-round meeting at Norway Chess. read more D Gukesh had defeated Magnus Carlsen for the first time in his career in Round 6 of the ongoing Norway Chess in Stavanger, Norway. Image credit: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess Magnus Carlsen has caused quite the stir in the chess world by hinting at quitting the Classical format altogether , which has 'shocked' reigning world champion D Gukesh and taken many others at surprise. Carlsen made the statement following a stunning defeat against Gukesh in the sixth round of the ongoing Norway Chess last week, in which the five-time world champion resigned in 62 moves shortly after committing a blunder. 'Bit sad for others, but it is his decision' '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 said in an interview with the broadcasters of the event that is taking place in Stavanger, Norway. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen, who has been the world No 1 in Classical chess since 2011, has been critical of the format for months now with his energy primarily focused on the Freestyle Chess, a.k.a. Chess960, as well as the inaugural Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour that got underway in February and has events running till December. And while he had been held to a draw by world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura and Chinese Grandmaster Wei Yi earlier in the tournament, it was after his defeat against Gukesh that Carlsen got even more serious about bidding Standard chess goodbye once and for all. '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,' Carlsen, who currently occupies the second spot on the Norway Chess standings with two rounds to go, had said after his loss against Gukesh. Watch | Magnus Carlsen slams table in frustration after losing to D Gukesh, skips media duties Carlsen had defeated Gukesh in 55 moves in the opening round on 26 May to begin his title defence at Norway Chess with a bang. It was Gukesh's first meeting with the 34-year-old Norwegian since being crowned world champion in December. Gukesh, who had started off with back-to-back defeats against Carlsen and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, bounced back in style a week later, grinding his way to a hard-fought victory after the home favourite found himself in a dominant position at one stage. Action resumes in Stavanger on Thursday following the second and final 'Rest Day', with Carlsen facing current leader Fabiano Caruana and Arjun in the last two rounds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh, who is joint-third with Nakamura on 11.5 points, faces Wei in Round 9 before ending his campaign against Caruana, whom he had beaten in the Armageddon playoff earlier after playing out a draw in the Classical game.
The Star
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Chess-Carlsen slams table in defeat to Gukesh at Norway Chess
FILE PHOTO: Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen looks on ahead of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Paris, France, April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo (Reuters) -A seething Magnus Carlsen slammed his fist into a table after suffering his first defeat to world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a classical game on Sunday in Stavanger. Carlsen had his opponent on the ropes for much of the match in the Norway Chess 2025 tournament but his composure cracked under the pressure of a ticking clock and he committed a blunder that handed India's Gukesh a decisive advantage. Carlsen slammed his fist on the table after the defeat before exchanging a quick handshake with Gukesh, apologising for his outburst and storming off. "I mean, (the win was) not the way I wanted it to be, but okay, I'll take it," Gukesh told "... I've also banged a lot of tables in my career." Carlsen remained top of the standings after the defeat. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
25-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
'Special game to start the tournament': Gukesh on his opening clash with Magnus Carlsen at Norway Chess 2025
World champion D Gukesh is all set to face Magnus Carlsen in the opening round of Norway Chess 2025. Gukesh will start with black pieces. read more D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen in action during the Weissenhaus leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in February. Image credit: Freestyle Chess Stavanger: World champion D. Gukesh acknowledged that starting with black pieces is a tricky proposition against Magnus Carlsen after he was drawn against the World No.1 in the Norway Chess tournament beginning here on Monday. Gukesh and Carlsen will be playing the classical format for the first time after the Indian became the world champion late last year and the opening match will be crucial for both going deeper into the tournament. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'For sure, it's (match against Carlsen) a special game to start the tournament with. But also, I mean, you play all the players with both colours, so it really doesn't make a difference,' said Gukesh when asked how he felt starting with black pieces against the five-time world champion in his backyard. 'Since it's the start of the tournament, I guess we'll both try to be as sharp as possible and get into the tournament as quickly as possible as it's the first round. 'It's always kind of tricky to get your best shape in the first round, so, it'll be a fun challenge,' added Gukesh, whose form has slumped following the world title triumph last year. Carlsen too kept his cards close to his chest, saying he wasn't 'quite sure what to expect' in the opening round, as he had played very little classical chess of late. 'Honestly, I haven't really played a proper classical tournament since last year. Classical chess that I have played, it's mostly been against somewhat lower-rated players. So, whether it's against Gukesh or somebody else, I'm not really quite sure what to expect,' he said. 'I think, I certainly want to do well in those games and he (Gukesh) does as well. I mean, I cannot speak for him, but I wouldn't imagine otherwise,' added Carlsen, the six-time Norway Chess champion who is defending his title here. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The 18-year-old Gukesh said he has been trying to work his back to top form ahead of the event. 'I guess after the world championship, I mean, all of the tournaments that I played, Wijik Aan Zee was really good, after that none of the tournaments have been actually good. 'I am back to working, I am back to playing, training apps, so it's just that if I continue to do it, continue doing the right things and stay consistent, then the results will improve. So, this (Norway Chess) will be one opportunity to bring back (my form),' he added. The Indian prodigy said he has started training more seriously now, following the world championship triumph against Ding Liren of China. 'Certainly, compared to the first couple of months after the world championship, I am training more seriously. 'But yeah, I mean, these kind of things happen, bad tournaments, they keep happening, whether you work hard or not, but yeah, for sure I am trying to focus on this tournament and doing my best,' he noted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
First Post
15-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Carlsen plays down significance of showdown against Gukesh at Norway Chess: 'I'm not motivated to play'
D Gukesh will face world No 1 Magnus Carlsen in the Classical format for the first time since being crowned the youngest world champion in the sport's history in December. While the upcoming showdown might just be the biggest of the 18-year-old's career, Carlsen has chosen to play down its significance. read more D Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen in action during the Weissenhaus leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in February. Image credit: Freestyle Chess D Gukesh has had a mixed run since being crowned the youngest world champion in chess history , finishing runner-up at the Tata Steel Chess before struggling to make a mark in back-to-back events in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. The 18-year-old narrowly missed out on his maiden Tata Steel Chess title after losing to compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breaks in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. As for Freestyle Chess, Gukesh failed to win a single game in the opening event in Germany's Weissenhaus before finishing at the bottom of the standings in Paris last month. And in the ongoing Superbet Classic in Poland that's part of the Grand Chess Tour, Gukesh finds himself joint seventh with 3.5 points after seven rounds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | D Gukesh reveals why Freestyle Chess remains a challenge for him Gukesh certainly is under pressure at the moment, with his critics continuing to doubt his credentials as a world champion. The Chennai lad, however, will get the opportunity to bury the disappointment of his underwhelming run in the unpredictable Freestyle Chess format in the Norway Chess tournament that takes place in Stavanger later this month. And the highlight of this event will be the dream showdown between Gukesh and Magnus Carlsen – the reigning world champion vs the world No 1 in the Classical format. 'I don't want to play it that often' From world No 3 Gukesh's perspective, this certainly will rank as the biggest match of his career so far, possibly bigger than his world championship battle against China's Ding Liren in Singapore five months ago. Carlsen, however, has chosen to play down the significance of the upcoming showdown by reminding the chess world of his disinterest in the Classical format. The 34-year-old Norwegian chess icon, after all, had voluntarily opted against defending his world title in 2022 while allowed Ding to take his place in the 2023 World Championship match against Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi. And in recent months, Carlsen has made it clear that Freestyle Chess will be his priority going forward, having co-founded the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour and the Freestyle Chess Players Club with German entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner. 'Obviously I've played him in Freestyle but I know that that's not his thing, at least so far. I think everybody has a lot of respect for him in Classical Chess," Carlsen said in an interview on Take Take Take. 'But I can tell you for sure that the reason why I'm not playing a lot of Classical chess is that I'm not motivated to play it. I don't want to play it that often. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I think for him it's different, it's his main thing. So it's kind of natural that we don't clash that often,' he added. Also Read | Viswanathan Anand confident ahead of Gukesh vs Carlsen clash at Norway Chess The 13th edition of Norway Chess, of which local favourite Carlsen is a six-time champion, takes place between 26 May and 6 June this year and will have the world's top-five players in action, with Hikaru Nakamura (No 2), Arjun Erigaisi (No 4) and Fabiano Caruana (No 5). Also participating in the event that carries a prize money of $148,000 is Chinese GM Wei Yi, ranked eighth in the world, completing what is among the strongest lineups across tournaments in the world.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
06-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Gujrathi denies link between criticism of Gukesh and FIDE-Freestyle Chess feud, backs world champion to shine in Norway
Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi also shielded Classical world champion D Gukesh from criticism over his underwhelming performances in the two Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour events that have taken place so far, stating that Standard chess remains his strength. read more D Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi had competed at the Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, where they finished at the bottom of the standings and shared the 11th spot. Image credit: Freestyle Chess/FIDE Gukesh Dommaraju has been facing criticism from the likes of Magnus Carlsen ever since he defeated China's Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion in chess history. Despite the 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster going on to finish second at the Tata Steel Chess in Netherlands right after the World Championship, his underwhelming performances in the ongoing Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour have given his critics more ammunition to question his credentials as someone who truly deserved to be counted among the world's best. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Norway Chess will be a good test for Gukesh, feels Gujrathi Fellow Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi, however, came to Gukesh's rescue, stating that while Gukesh takes his time to adapt to other formats, he remained a force to be reckoned with in the Classical format and backed him to shine at the Norway Chess later this month. Gujrathi also denied comparison between Gukesh's criticism as well as the ongoing feud between FIDE and the Carlsen-backed Freestyle Chess. 'I think these two issues are quite different. As for Gukesh, it's too soon to judge. He's just achieved the world championship title, and he had a strong performance at Wijk Aan Zee. Classical chess is clearly his strength, and I think the upcoming Norway Chess in May will be a good test for him,' Gujrathi, who made his Freestyle Chess debut in Paris last month, told India Today. 'It's well known that Gukesh hasn't paid as much attention to other formats, and it takes time for him to adjust. So, he probably still needs more time to adapt to Freestyle and other formats. But I'm sure he wants to excel in all of them because, to be a true world champion, being proficient across all formats is expected. I'm confident he's highly motivated to improve in that area. 'As for the FIDE vs. Freestyle war, I haven't delved into the details much, but any conflict that doesn't contribute to the sport's growth isn't ideal. I hope they can come to an agreement because I don't think it has to be about choosing between classical chess and Freestyle chess. Both can coexist, and if they can figure out how to make that work, it would be great for the sport,' he added. Also Read | Anand confident ahead of Gukesh vs Carlsen clash at Norway Chess After his runner-up finish at the Tata Steel Chess at Wijk aan Zee, where he lost to compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in tie-breaks, Gukesh was off to an underwhelming start in the opening event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Weissenhaus – where he failed to collect a single win. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And in the second event in Paris last month, Gukesh shared the 11th spot with Gujrathi after the two players failed to reach the quarter-finals. Gukesh will be in action at the Norway Chess, which takes place in Stavanger, Norway from 26 May to 6 June – meaning the Chennai lad will be celebrating his 19th birthday away from home. The central attraction of the event will be Gukesh's showdown with Carlsen, his first with the current world No 1 since he became world champion.
