Latest news with #Gajewski
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Norway Chess: In beating Erigaisi, Gukesh shows ‘extraordinary' abilities
Stavanger: Moments after D Gukesh pulled off a stunning heist on Magnus Carlsen at Norway Chess on Sunday, his coach Grzegorz Gajewski was asked what it would mean to the Indian for the remainder of the tournament. 'Well,' Gajewski said, 'hopefully we can break another unbreakable Arjun.' The world champion sure did. In similar style to boot, albeit not nearly as startlingly. Gukesh beat Arjun Erigaisi in Round 7 of Norway Chess to earn his first classic victory over his compatriot who, as Gajewski described, is a 'very unpleasant opponent' for the world champion. In scripting back-to-back firsts against Carlsen and Erigaisi, the 19-year-old also flipped the script on the two men who had dragged him to defeats in his first two games, raising more questions about Gukesh's form and confidence. Accepting a big bar of chocolate from a fan after his win on Tuesday night seemed appropriate, the sour beginning has indeed sweetened. Gukesh's position in both the victories however was anything but sweet. The great escape against the world No.1 was almost surreal, and Gukesh arrived for his clash against Erigaisi after all the other games had begun. After his belated first move 'nothing went my way', Gukesh summed up later. Digging into a weak position, Gukesh hung on until Erigaisi let the advantage slip. And then in the endgame littered with mistakes, Gukesh sprang up. 'I was just losing at some point, was slowly getting outplayed,' Gukesh said. 'But once I got to this position, I had to keep making moves that don't lose on the spot. Then in the time scramble, things happen.' They sure have for him in this coastal city because Gukesh has, even in extreme adversity in the last two games, refused to throw in the towel. The fighter in him has the shades of a younger Norwegian. A young Magnus, as Gajewski recalled speaking to Indian media here, 'kept playing those little bit better positions' in testing situations. 'I don't even experience him (Carlsen) having so many lost positions that he kept fighting in, but he was definitely a fighter,' he said. Gukesh has shown similar qualities, certainly in his last couple of games where he has demanded precision from his opponent in converting a winning position to a win. 'And if you're not up to it, you might mess up the position. Even if you're No.1 in the world,' Gajewski said. Those two traits combined have defined Gukesh's resurgence over the last couple of days. For Gajewski, the fighting spirit isn't the most extraordinary aspect of it. 'In the sense, everyone here is a fighter,' he said. 'Simply, Gukesh has extraordinary calculation abilities, which, combined with his fighting spirit, help him defend so many positions.' The two games have, in a way, been a microcosm of Gukesh's time in Stavanger so far. As the world champion coming in with form under a cloud, the opening two defeats had made things gloomier for Gukesh. He found some light when he beat Hikaru Nakamura in classical and Fabiano Caruana in armageddon before the last two wins brightened his place in the leaderboard to second (1 point behind Caruana, 0.5 above Carlsen) from down among the last. What got him up, ironically, was a release of pressure after a stressful start. 'Your hopes kind of go down, your adrenalin goes down. And you feel relaxed, because all your tension is suddenly gone. It's like you're already lost,' Gajewski said. 'And then, the next games are much easier because you don't feel the pressure you felt in the beginning.' Gukesh, make no mistake, did feel the pressure, even more so after 'an unsuccessful tournament in Bucharest', as the Polish GM said. The coach doesn't wish to read too much into Gukesh's recent results in freestyle events, but last month's Superbet Classic where Gukesh finished one point above the bottom place was a 'difficult' outcome that jumbled his mind. The slow start here could've further complicated the puzzling thoughts. But, unlike the Stavanger weather, Gukesh ensured things cleared up in time. 'That's a very big success, regardless of how the tournament ends,' Gajewski said. 'This is a very nice thing to achieve for him because from now in every tournament, if he starts badly, he will know that it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad tournament.'
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Gukesh has so much to learn… not yet complete as player, says trainer Grzegorz Gajewski
Grzegorz Gajewski, the man who was the sherpa guiding Gukesh's ascent to the coveted world champion's throne late last year, believes that despite the Chennai teenager becoming the youngest world champion in history, there's still lots of scope to learn for the teenager from Chennai. Gukesh is currently playing at the Norway Chess tournament, where he lost to China's Wei Yi in the Armageddon on Saturday after their classical contest ended in a draw. This year's Norway Chess tournament has an incredibly strong field, with the world's top 5 players competing, with China's Wei Yi being the lowest rated player at No 8. Asked in an interview by the official YouTube channel of Norway Chess what the biggest challenge working with someone as young as Gukesh was, the Polish trainer said: 'Everything is a challenge at this age because nothing is formed really. So he's not yet complete as a chess player, he's not yet complete as a person. Everywhere there are some smaller or bigger challenges waiting for you.' Gajewski started travelling full time with Gukesh since Norway Chess 2023, an association that led to Gukesh winning the Candidates at the first time of asking after prevailing over an elite eight-player field and then defeating Ding Liren to become the 18th world champion in the sport's history. He was asked what is the next challenge for him as a trainer. Gajewski pointed out that even though Gukesh was a world champion, there was plenty of scope for growth. 'I think the biggest trick here is to somehow find the balance between the urge of immediate results and the long-term goal which is basically to improve as a player. I think this is the key here and of course he's a world champion already but we should not forget he's only 19. There is so much he has to learn yet and for me this is a priority. If he wins some championship matches as part of the process that's great, but the key for him is to improve,' he said. Gajewski was first introduced to Gukesh at Viswanathan Anand's WACA chess academy, which was started during the pandemic. Gajewski had previously worked with Anand as a second too. Asked how different it was working with Gukesh compared to working with Anand, Gajewski said: 'Very much different. When I started working with Vishy, he was already a man who achieved it all. A five-time world champion, a famous player and a legend. So it's kind of a different situation because what can I really teach him, right? So I was basically taking care of his repertoire and trying to set new goals so he could stay ambitious which obviously was tricky for the man who achieved it all already. With Gukesh it's pretty much different because he's so young, he has so much to learn and so much to achieve. So they were at completely different points in their careers.' Gajewski also heaped praise on Gukesh. 'What was special for him was his ability to learn and to draw conclusions from his own errors. He had many ups and downs but whenever he felt he was able to take the best lesson from this fall and use it to his advantage in the future.'
CBS News
01-05-2025
- CBS News
Body camera footage shows Warren police officers save suicidal man from overpass
Nearing the end of their shift on Easter, a few Warren police officers got multiple 911 calls about the unthinkable: a suicide attempt. "There's a guy on the fence, like I don't know if he's going to jump off of it; I don't know what he's doing," said one caller. Concerned callers said the man was climbing the I-696 overpass at the Groesbeck interchange. Shown on body camera footage, officers found the 32-year-old sitting on top of the safety fence, preparing to jump. "Our officers get out, and they immediately go into crisis intervention, de-escalation, emotional intelligence, human empathy mode," said Lt. John Gajewski, Warren Police Department. For nearly five minutes, officers try to connect with the man, asking him his name and trying to find a safe way to convince him to come down. Gajewski says this situation is a prime example of their team's de-escalation training in action. "We do scenario-based exercises where officers encounter various types of role-playing scenarios, and you work on your communication skills," said Gajewski. Gajewski credits that near-constant training as the key to saving the man's life. "You see the officers develop that connection and talk to this male, not as an officer on a traffic stop, but as an adult to an adult. It's just a great example of officers working together, training together to help the community and save a life," said Gajewski. Warren police say the man was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation and is now back home.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Yahoo
‘Get a designated driver': JSO on alert for intoxicated driving on Super Bowl Sunday
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office warned drivers to drive safe and sober on Sunday as they return home from Super Bowl festivities. The agency said officers will be aggressively hunting for intoxicated drivers to keep the streets safe. 'Typically, there's a lot more alcohol involved DUIs on Super Bowl night. So, we're definitely keeping our eye out for that,' said Sergeant Mike Gajewski with JSO's DUI Unit. We caught up with Sergeant Gajewski and Officer Ernesto Valerio, who is also with JSO's DUI Unit, ahead of the big game. In recent months, the unit has been conducting DUI checkpoints and putting out videos highlighting enforcement efforts to educate the community about the dangers and consequences of drunk driving. 'We are constantly trying to educate the public on avoiding driving impaired. We'd much rather they avoid it than have contact with us and end up going to jail for it,' said Gajewski. Gajewski noted the best way to avoid getting stuck without a safe ride, is to plan a way home in advance. 'Maybe get a designated driver, like you've heard for 30 years. Designate a driver that's sober to drive everybody. If not, there are plenty of other options. There's taxi service, there's rideshare options. You have Lyft, you have Uber,' said Gajewski. And Officer Valerio added even for those who do the right thing and stay sober, they'll need to be extra cautious on the roads after the game. 'Definitely do not be on your cell phone. Once you start driving, focus on your driving, but you're also going to have to be paying attention to other vehicles. Cause unexpectedly you're going to have people improper lane changes, people speeding up on you and you need to be alert for those things,' said Valerio. JSO asked the public to call 911 or the agency's nonemergency number if you are on the road and notice a someone driving suspiciously or dangerously. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Read: Super Bowl LIX: Fox Sports debuts new scorebug, to universally negative reaction [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
