Latest news with #SuperUnitedCroatia
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First Post
07-07-2025
- Sport
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Kasparov feels Gukesh not yet ready to conquer Blitz after sudden loss of form in Croatia: 'Something is wrong...'
D Gukesh endured a miserable run in the Blitz leg of SuperUnited Croatia after shining in the Rapid games to surrender the title to Magnus Carlsen and finish third on the overall standnings. read more Garry Kasparov had earlier heaped praise on D Gukesh for his victory over Magnus Carlsen in the Rapid leg of SuperUnited Croatia. Image credit: Grand Chess Tour/Reuters Legendary Russian Grandmaster Garry Kasparov felt reigning Classical world champion D Gukesh isn't ready for conquering Blitz chess just yet, especially after his poor performance in the format at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia event that concluded on Sunday. Gukesh enjoyed a superb run in the Rapid section of the event, where defeated world No 1 Magnus Carlsen for the second consecutive time after beating him at last month's Norway Chess and finished top of the standings with 14 points. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The third event of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour, however, was one where the winner would be decided by the total points accumulated across the Rapid and Blitz legs of the it was in the latter where Gukesh undid all of his hard work in the Rapid games, enduring a horrid run that saw the 19-year-old end Day 1 of the Blitz leg with seven defeats in nine rounds, including the first five on the bounce. Though Gukesh put up an improved display on the final day of the tournament, it wasn't enough as he finished third on the overall standings in 19.5 points, behind Carlsen (22.5) and Wesley So (20). 'We didn't see the tenacity' Former world champion and world No 1 Kasparov felt the solid victory over Carlsen had a psychological impact on the 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster which, together with his struggles in the Blitz format, led to his torrid run in the last two days of the event in Zagreb. 'I thought Gukesh's games were feeble yesterday and today. Because it's very fast, and he's probably not ready to show his skills in Blitz,' Kasparov had said after the conclusion of the penultimate day of the tournament. 'In Blitz, every gram of your energy that is being wasted on something else just has a very negative effect.' 'The games he lost today, some of them were just terrible. Losing to Magnus I understand, anybody can lose the game. But even in this game, we didn't see the tenacity. 'Something is wrong with Gukesh. Yesterday was not a great day. His games were very feeble. Yes, he beat (Wesley) So, but his game against (Anish) Giri was a sign of trouble for me,' the 62-year-old added. Thanks to Gukesh's sudden drop in form, Carlsen surged ahead in the Blitz games and finished top of the standings despite claiming he produced his "B-game" in Zagreb. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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First Post
06-07-2025
- Sport
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Gukesh misses out on top spot despite improved performance as Carlsen wins SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz 2025
Despite emerging the top player in the Rapid section of the Grand Chess Tour event in Zagreb, D Gukesh finished third with 19.5 points, three less than world No 1 Magnus Carlsen. read more Magnus Carlsen surged ahead of D Gukesh and finished with 22.5 points at the end of the Rapid and Blitz games to be crowned SuperUnited Croatia winner. Image: Grand Chess Tour D Gukesh had a slightly better run on Sunday, the second day of the Blitz competition at SuperUnited Croatia, the Grand Chess Tour's event in Zagreb, by collecting three wins and two draws. That, however, did not prove enough for the Indian Grandmaster to retain the top spot in the tournament standings as Magnus Carlsen clinched the title with a final score of 22.5 points. Congratulations to Magnus Carlsen!🏆 With one round to spare, Magnus clinches first place at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia! Another dominant performance in the Grand Chess Tour! 🔥♟️#MagnusCarlsen #GrandChessTour — Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) July 6, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh had finished as the top player at the end of the Rapid section of the tournament with 14 points, finishing well ahead of Polish Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda (11) and Carlsen (10), producing the kind of performance that helped him shatter his image of being a Classical-specialist. The 19-year-old GM, however, undid his hard work in the Rapid rounds by losing his first five Blitz games on the trot on Saturday, the penultimate day of the competition, and ending the day with seven losses in nine outings. Gukesh puts up improved Blitz performance on final day at Zagreb That stretched to nine defeats in 11 games after the chess star from Chennai began the final day of the tournament with back-to-back losses – against Wesley So and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. He would later collect victories over Duda, Ivan Saric and Fabiano Caruana besides holding Carlsen and compatriot R Praggnanandhaa to a draw. Despite his improved performance on Sunday, Gukesh finished at the bottom of the Blitz standings with 5.5 points. As for the overall standings, he finished third, behind Carlsen and American GM So. The final standings of the GCT Croatia. — Take Take Take (@TakeTakeTakeApp) July 6, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen, who had suffered a second defeat against Praggnanandhaa in as many tournaments last week, was off to a strong start on Day 1 of the Blitz event with six wins and three draws – against Duda, So and Dutch GM Anish Giri. So, on the other hand, had a poor run in the Rapid games but bounced back in Blitz to finish second with 20 points, half-a-point ahead of Gukesh.
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First Post
06-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Carlsen reacts to Gukesh's 'shocking' struggle in Blitz leg of SuperUnited Croatia: 'Couldn't really have gone any worse'
After winning the Rapid leg of SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia in Zagreb, D Gukesh found himself losing the first six matches on the trot in the Blitz section and ending the day at the bottom of the standings with seven defeats in nine games. read more Magnus Carlsen defeated D Gukesh in 47 moves on Day 1 of the Blitz event at SuperUnited Croatia in Zagreb. Image credit: Grand Chess Tour Magnus Carlsen said it was 'shocking' for D Gukesh to struggle the way he did on the opening day of Blitz event at SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia on Saturday. Carlsen and Gukesh found themselves at the opposite ends of the Blitz standings – first and last respectively – with the latter losing his first six matches on the trot and ending the day with seven defeats in nine games. This was after Gukesh shone in the Rapid leg of the tournament and finished top of the standings with 14 points, three more than the second-placed Jan-Krzysztof Duda with the reigning Classical world champion beating Carlsen along the way. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Carlsen, who had been crowned joint Blitz world champion along with Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi in December, emerged victorious against Gukesh on Saturday after back-to-back losses against the Indian. Carlsen hopes Gukesh comes back stronger on final day of event And the legendary Norwegian GM hoped the 19-year-old would come out stronger and post a much better performance on Sunday, the second day of the Blitz event as well as the final day of the competition. 'The score is shocking… The good thing for him is it couldn't really have gone any worse,' Carlsen told chess24 after the conclusion of the opening day of the Blitz event. 'Hopefully for his sake he can calm down and play with a different attitude tomorrow, because now he doesn't really have anything to lose.' Despite his poor run on the opening day of the Blitz leg, Gukesh remains third on the overall standings – which will ultimately decide the winner of the tournament in Zagreb. Carlsen, who had collected 10 points in the Rapid leg, currently leads the standings with 17.5 points and is followed by Duda with 16 and Gukesh with 15.5 – one more than American GM Wesley So, who trails the Indian at the fourth spot. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, the other Indian competing in the event, currently completes the top five with 13.5 points. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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First Post
06-07-2025
- Sport
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Gukesh shatters image of a one-format champion with latest victory over Carlsen and Rapid title in Croatia
D Gukesh not only defeated Magnus Carlsen for the second time in as many meetings in the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, he ended up winning the Rapid section of the event to finally dispel the notion of his ability as a world-class player being limited to just one format. read more Gukesh Dommaraju had silenced his critics in some style last month when he defeated Magnus Carlsen for the first time in his career in Norway Chess. And in the past week, not only did he beat the legendary Norwegian Grandmaster twice in as many meetings, he also shattered the image of being a one-format player by winning the Rapid title at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia. The teenaged Grandmaster had been having a torrid run since in December and finishing runner-up at the Tata Steel Chess right after, with many questioning whether he deserved to be counted among chess' elite or not. The fact that he hardly made an impact in the two Freestyle events in the intervening months only served to add fuel to the fire that raged around him. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The stunning turnaround against the world No 1 in Stavanger last month was therefore much needed for the lad from Chennai to highlight the fact that his rise to the top wasn't out of sheer luck. That, however, did not eliminate the question mark that continued to hover over his form in the faster Rapid and Blitz formats. The 19-year-old's rise in the sport isn't anything less than meteoric and his run from April 2024 to February 2025 helped solidify his status as a superstar. A perceived weakness in the faster formats Gukesh, however, has had this perception of being a world-class player in one format – Classical a.k.a. Standard chess. And there isn't better evidence for that perception than his triumph in the World Championship, where the consensus was that Gukesh had to find a way to prevent Chinese GM Ding Liren from taking the contest into the tie-breaks – where the Indian would be at a disadvantage in the Rapid and Blitz formats. That proved to be the case at Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee in February – where Gukesh and compatriot R Praggnanandhaa finished level on points at the end of the Classical games and the latter triumphed in the blitz tie-breaks. Had Ding managed to play out a draw in the 14th and final Classical game in the World Championship, he would certainly have been considered a favourite heading into the tie-breaks. Coming back to SuperUnited Croatia, Gukesh not only had a point to prove against Carlsen who had quite bluntly referred to him as one of the 'weaker players' in an interview ahead of the opening round, he also had to shake off the image of a player who was heavily dependent on the luxury of getting enough time for his mental calculations for him to outsmart his opponents. And he did that in some style. Grinding his way out of tough situations and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat has been the hallmark of two of his most memorable triumphs – against Ding and Carlsen in December and June respectively. Adding another feather to his cap in Croatia His second victory over Carlsen on Thursday, however, wasn't anything like that. Gukesh, for once, went toe-to-toe with his hallowed opponent, pounced on an opening via a blunder in the 35th move and forced Carlsen to resign just 14 moves later. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh's magic, however, wasn't just limited to his sixth-round meeting with Carlsen on Day 2 of the event. After starting with a defeat against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Gukesh clawed back with a victory over Alireza Firouzja and 'Pragg' to end the day in the joint-lead alongside the Norwegian and two others. A solid start was then followed by a clinical run as Gukesh moved into the sole lead with a hat-trick of wins, defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Fabiano Caruana besides Carlsen. Also Read | Kasparov on Gukesh's latest victory over Carlsen: 'Now we can question Magnus' domination' And on the final day of the Rapid leg of the tournament that's part of the Grand Chess Tour, Gukesh sealed his title with draws against Anish Giri and Ivan Saric before signing off with a victory over Wesley So to finish with 14 points – three more than Duda, who finished second by a point ahead of Carlsen. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'It does refute certain theories' FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky reminded the chess world that while Gukesh did not become the best Rapid player in the world with his exploits in Zagreb, he certainly dispelled 'certain theories' about him and earned the right to be viewed as 'one of the best'. 'No, an amazing performance in Zagreb does not mean that Gukesh became the world's best rapid player overnight. But yes, it does refute certain theories. You can't just score like that vs world's best by chance - or by having good three days. Exactly as when Dubov or Nodirbek won the FIDE World Rapid, it did not mean they suddenly became the strongest. But from thereon it was clear, they are one of the best,' Sutovsky wrote in a post on X on Saturday. At the time of writing this piece, Gukesh did flounder on the opening day of the Blitz, finding himself at the bottom of the table with seven defeats in nine games including against Carlsen, the reigning Blitz world champion who currently leads the standings with 7.5 points. Then again, Rome wasn't built in a day. Gukesh has just proven himself in a format that has a minimum time control of 10 minutes, and to expect him to have a similar impact in a three-minute game – knowing his nature and style of play – would be a bit unfair. Give him some time, and a performance like the one that won him the Rapid title in Croatia might not be too far off. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
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First Post
05-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Carlsen shrugs off victory over Gukesh after back-to-back losses against Indian teenager: 'Kind of rubbish'
After suffering a second defeat in as many outings at the hands of D Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen hit back against the Indian Grandmaster by defeating him on the opening day of the Blitz event at SuperUnited Croatia in Zagreb. read more Magnus Carlsen fought back against D Gukesh in the Blitz section of SuperUnited Croatia after losing to the Indian Grandmaster in the Rapid event. Image credit: Grand Chess Tour Magnus Carlsen returned to winning ways against D Gukesh after back-to-back defeats, beating the 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster on Day 1 of the Blitz competition in the SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz on Saturday. Carlsen had lost to the reigning Classical world champion for the first time in his career at last month's Norway Chess despite being in a dominant position, and would later describe the loss as one that made him feel 'washed and useless'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | Garry Kasparov drops massive statement on D Gukesh's triumph over Magnus Carlsen Gukesh would then register a second consecutive triumph over the world No 1 in the Rapid leg of the ongoing tournament. And unlike his sudden turnaround in the Classical format last month, Gukesh remained on level terms with Carlsen on Day 2 at Zagreb before pouncing on a blunder and making his legendary opponent resign in 49 moves. Carlsen says he was playing 'old man's chess' Carlsen, however, bounced back on Saturday, the fourth day of the competition and the first to feature Blitz games, with a victory in 47 moves. But when asked about his performance, the 34-year-old Norwegian GM wasn't too impressed. 'The game itself was kind of rubbish. I was really just playing old man's chess, trying to play without tactics whatsoever. It worked out well; can't complain,' Carlsen told Take Take Take at the end of the day's games. "The game itself was kind of rubbish. I was really just playing old man's chess, trying to play without tactics whatsoever. It worked out well; can't complain."@MagnusCarlsen after beating Gukesh in the blitz. — Take Take Take (@TakeTakeTakeApp) July 5, 2025 Carlsen also described his wife Ella, whom he had tied the knot with earlier this year, as his 'lucky charm' after his better half decided to watch him play on Saturday. 'She decided to come to the games today, which I greatly appreciate. So far she's been great luck charm. Carlsen and Gukesh found themselves a the opposite end of the Blitz standings – at top and bottom respectively – with one more day to go in the tournament that is part of the Grand Chess Tour. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After winning the Rapid title with a total of 14 points, ahead of Polish GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda (11) and Carlsen (10), Gukesh endured a miserable run on Day 1 of the Blitz event by losing seven out of nine outings, six of them on the trot.
