Latest news with #Gukesh
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
‘Sometimes, he even forgets…': D Gukesh's trainer credits Magnus Carlsen historic win to ‘faster time control' secret
After topping the Rapid section at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia, D Gukesh had an underwhelming section in the Blitz category. His performances in the Blitz section saw him slip to third position in the overall standings. D Gukesh after his Rapid win vs Magnus Carlsen.(Twitter) His Rapid performance also saw him defeat Magnus Carlsen, in what was a sensational result for the reigning world champion. It made Carlsen regret his comments on Gukesh's abilities in shorter time formats. It also came after his recent Norway Chess win against the world No. 1. 'Faster time control' Speaking to the New Indian Express, Gukesh's chief trainer, Grzegorz Gajewski revealed the main reason behind Gukesh's sudden rise in shorter time formats. 'We are doing some exercises strictly devoted to the faster time control. Just some training games and exercises,' he said. He also spoke about the challenges for Gukesh as the reigning world champion. He said, 'Chess wise, it's a tricky period because as world champion, the expectation is that much higher. In the process, many people forget that he's only 19. Sometimes, he even forgets that he's only 19. It's about managing his own ambitions, he's of course very hungry and just wanting to crush everybody on the board. But the reality is that the competition is very strong and many of his opponents are older, even the very young guys are older than him." 'For me, the most important thing is for Gukesh to develop as a player not in terms of Classical or Rapid or Blitz… there are many areas to improve and once he improves in those areas he will become stronger in all formats. You just focus on the improvements,' he added. In their Blitz face-off, Carlsen showcased brilliant skills and took advantage of Gukesh's struggles in the format. In the overall standings, Carlsen finished on top with 22.5 overall points, ahead of second-placed Wesley So (20), Gukesh (19.5) and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (16). For Carlsen, it was also perfect revenge, having lost back-to-back games to Gukesh in the classical and rapid formats.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Many people forget that he's only 19. He even forgets he's 19, says D Gukesh's coach Grzegorz Gajewski
D Gukesh during the Grand Chess Tour competition in Zagreb, Croatia. (Image: X) Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh secured third place at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz competition in Croatia, surprising many as he had only a 0.3 percent chance of winning according to pre-tournament simulations. The 19-year-old world champion showed significant improvement in faster time controls, winning the Rapid section before struggling in Blitz, ultimately finishing behind Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So. Despite being a powerhouse in Classical chess with a rating of 2776, Gukesh's performance in faster formats has been notably lower, with Rapid (2686.8) and Blitz (2612.6) ratings below the elite 2700 mark. His coach, Grzegorz Gajewski, sees this third-place finish as a sign of major progress. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "We are doing some exercises strictly devoted to the faster time controls," Gajewski told New Indian Express, explaining their focused training approach. These special exercises and practice games aim to boost Gukesh's skills in shorter time formats. Gajewski faces an interesting challenge managing his young protégé. "Chess wise, it's a tricky period because as world champion, the expectation is that much higher," he notes. The coach often needs to remind Gukesh of his youth, as the teenager's ambition sometimes makes him forget he's competing against more experienced players. "Chess wise, it's a tricky period because as world champion, the expectation is that much higher," he says. "In the process, many people forget that he's only 19. Sometimes, he even forgets that he's only 19. It's about managing his own ambitions, he's of course very hungry and just wanting to crush everybody on the board. But the reality is that the competition is very strong and many of his opponents are older, even the very young guys are older than him. " The coach emphasised on the overall development rather than format-specific improvements. "For me, the most important thing is for Gukesh to develop as a player not in terms of Classical or Rapid or Blitz... there are many areas to improve and once he improves in those areas he will become stronger in all formats," Gajewski explains. Since becoming world champion in Singapore last year, Gukesh has shown mixed results but achieved notable victories, including two wins against Magnus Carlsen in different formats. His recent Croatian performance adds to these achievements, marking steady progress in his developing career. Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!
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First Post
6 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
D Gukesh's coach sheds light on managing Indian star's ambitions, keeping him grounded: 'Many forget that he's only 19'
Polish Grandmaster Grzegorz Gajewski has been coaching D Gukesh full-time since 2023, overseeing his victories at the Candidates Tournament and the World Championship last year, speaks on managing the 19-year-old's ambitions and dealing with the burden of expectations. read more D Gukesh has had Polish Grandmaster Grzegorz Gajewski as his coach since 2023. Image: Grzegorz Gajewski on X After an incredible run in 2024, reigning Classical world champion Gukesh Dommaraju has been experiencing mixed fortunes this year. While the 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster finished runner-up at Tata Steel Chess in February and third at Norway Chess, where he defeated Magnus Carlsen for the first time in his career, he has had an underwhelming run in the first two legs of the Freesstyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. His mixed run in 2025 can be perfectly summarised by his performance at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, the third event of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour where he finished top of the standings at the end of the Rapid leg but eventually finished third on the overall standings after poor run in the Blitz games. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gajewski sheds light on managing Gukesh's ambitions Gukesh's coach Grzegorz Gajewski recently opened up on managing the young superstar's ambitions, revealing that he has to remind the player himself that he's just 19. 'Chess wise, it's a tricky period because as world champion, the expectation is that much higher. In the process, many people forget that he's only 19. Sometimes, he even forgets that he's only 19,' the Polish GM told The New Indian Express. 'It's about managing his own ambitions. He's of course very hungry and just wanting to crush everybody on the board. But the reality is that the competition is very strong and many of his opponents are older, even the very young guys are older than him,' added Gajewski, who has been coaching Gukesh full-time since 2023 and has been working on sharpening his skills in faster time controls of late. Gukesh will be taking a break after the event in Zagreb, having opted against participating in the American leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Las Vegas that gets underway later this month and features compatriots Arjun Erigaisi, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Chess: Carlsen fights off Gukesh in Zagreb as ChessFest returns to Trafalgar Square
It looked as if the Carlsen era might finally be over. The Norwegian, 35, had just lost his second game in a row to India's world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, 19, who was on a streak of five successive wins and leading the Zagreb event three points ahead of Carlsen. The game was like their first in Stavanger, where Carlsen had spoiled a winning position and images of his frustrated table thump went round the world. 'Now we can question Carlsen's domination,' said Garry Kasparov. Except this time the sequel was different. The format changed from rapid to blitz and Carlsen launched his own eight-game unbeaten streak including a win against the Indian teenager using 'old man's chess' with no tactics, while Gukesh tailspun into a catastrophic run of 1.5/9. An alternative description would be that Carlsen reverted to the style of Grind Like a Grandmaster, co-authored with England's David Howell. At the end of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz, part of the Grand Chess Tour sponsored from St Louis by the billionaire Rex Sinquefield, Carlsen banked another $40,000 winner's cheque, his fourth in six starts in Croatia. He scored 22.5/36, Wesley So (US) 20, Gukesh 19.5. There was a third Gukesh v Carlsen game, but that proved a damp squib as the pair opted for a well-known drawing line in the Ruy Lopez Berlin. Overall, it remains a successful 2025 for Carlsen, who achieved his sixth successive tournament victory of the year following the Chessable Masters, the Paris Freestyle Grand Slam, the Grenke Freestyle Open, the Classic and Stavanger. 'When nobody else has a great performance, my B-game is usually enough' said Carlsen. 'It was a fairly even tournament overall, and nobody could break away from the pack. It doesn't feel like I've won really. It feels like I just came, played alright, and nobody else did anything special.' Meanwhile, the modest Gukesh continues to meditate at the start of every game and to emphasise that he is still working continuously in self-improvement. Carlsen has other issues. Next week at Wynn Las Vegas is the third of five tournaments in the $3.5m Freestyle Grand Slam, the series based on random starting positions for every game. In a qualifier for the final place, Carlsen's arch-rival, Hans Niemann, unexpectedly won through. The next leg of the Grand Slam was planned for Delhi, but it has been cancelled due to a lack of local sponsors. In a simultaneous announcement, Jan Henric Buettner, the German entrepreneur who has been the public face of Freestyle, resigned as its chief executive and will be replaced by Thomas Harsch. This may raise questions about whether Freestyle's campaign to gain wider acceptance in the chess community is faltering. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion More details have been released of Sunday's free 11am-7pm ChessFest in Trafalgar Square, for which the weather forecast is hot and sunny. You and your children can play blitz or simultaneous games against England's leading grandmasters, there will be living chess with human pieces, a transatlantic prodigy match, puzzle contests, free tuition for chess novices, and much more. Fuller details are also available for other ChessFests in Portishead on Saturday, Hull on Sunday, and Liverpool on 20 July. English international tournament victories these days are rare, so it is something to celebrate like London buses when two come along at once. The 2022 British Champion, Harry Grieve, won the Vitoria-Gasteiz Open in Spain, scoring an unbeaten 7.5/9 to edge two others on tie-break and winning a much admired bishop endgame. Meanwhile, at the South Wales International in Bridgend, the Kent IM Aaravamudhan Balaji, 21, outpaced several other GMs and IMs to win first prize with an unbeaten 8/9. The Fide Women's World Cup is under way in Batumi, Georgia, It qualifies three players for the 2026 Women's Candidates, so has a strong entry. There have already been some shocks. Aleksandra Goryachkina, one of the favourites, lost her first game while the USA's Irina Krush hung her queen in an all-US clash with Carissa Yip. Unfortunately, there are no British entrants. The event can be followed daily on lichess. 3980 1 Bxd6! If 1…Qxd6 2 Re8+ Kh7 3 Qb1+ and 4 Qxa2 wins a rook. If 1…Re2 2 Bf4! Qxf4 3 Re8+ and 4 Qxf4 wins the queen. The game ended 1 Bd2?? Qh3! 2 Ra3?? Ne4! and White resigned due to 3 fxe4 Rxa3 while otherwise Black mates by Qg3+ Kh1 Nf2 mate or by Qg3+ Kf1 Qf2 mate.
Mint
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Viral Video: Chess champion Gukesh enjoys dessert platter on Air India flight; pilot Laxmi Joshi pens heartfelt note
Air India earlier celebrated the presence of Gukesh Dommaraju by offering him a special treat on board. Pilot Laxmi Joshi shared a video of the occasion on Instagram that has gone viral. In the viral video, the defending world champion was seen enjoying a special dessert platter. By the looks of it, the beautifully-arranged spread included chocolate pastries topped with white chocolate dots. A mango mousse cake garnished with a cherry and whipped cream seems to be there. A bowl of mixed fresh fruits, featuring pineapple, papaya, dragon fruit, and kiwi, was served. Bowls of creamy rasmalai, delicately flavoured with saffron, were also served. 'Had the honour of flying the World Chess Champion, Gukesh. Whether in the skies or across the chessboard — focus, strategy, and humility always triumph. Here's to young legends making India proud,' Joshi wrote while sharing the video. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Laxmi Joshi was a part of the Vande Bharat Mission, which flew repatriated Indian nationals. The mission transported essential supplies, including vaccines, hazmat suits and other medical supplies. Joshi has 1.3 million followers on Instagram. Social media users reacted to the Instagram Reel, which has gained 3.3 million views so far. 'Nice gestures of you all crew members (The very simple gestures are often the ones that have the biggest effect),' wrote one of them. Another wrote, 'His simplicity and humbleness speaks alot about him.' 'Excellent lovely honouring the chess champion,' came from another. 'This is how all our champions should be treated!' exclaimed another. One user posted, 'Exceptionally Grounded personality. Wishes for making nation proud. I wish you hearty success for future challenges.' D Gukesh earlier won the rapid section of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour tournament held in Zagreb, Croatia. The 19-year-old defeated America's Wesley So in the final round in 38 moves using white pieces. Gukesh finished with 14 out of 18 points, placing first. Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda came second with 11 points while Norwegian Magnus Carlsen stood third with 10. Indian player Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu shared fourth place with Fabiano Caruana, scoring nine points. This event is the third leg of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour, which already had tournaments in Poland and Romania. Upcoming tournaments will be held in the USA in August and in Brazil from September to October.
