Latest news with #SuperUnitedRapidandBlitzCroatia
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Magnus Carlsen posts after Zagreb win: ‘When nobody else has a great performance, my B-game is usually enough'
After winning the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia tournament on Sunday, Magnus Carlsen said on X that his B Game was enough for the victory in this tournament due to the other participants also not having the best of times. Carlsen was trailing tournament leader Gukesh by four points after the three-day-long rapid section, but ended up winning by a 2.5-point lead over the rest of the field after the 18 games of blitz over the weekend. 'When nobody else has a great performance, my B-game is usually enough. Always striving for more though!,' Carlsen posted after the win. When nobody else has a great performance, my B-game is usually enough. Always striving for more though! — Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) July 6, 2025 Playing what Carlsen himself described as 'survival' chess using an 'old man's chess' approach, he did considerably well to outscore a formidable field for his 10th Grand Chess Tour Rapid and Blitz title out of 12 appearances. 'I felt that I struggled most of the event. Partly because it was a very strong field this year. There weren't a lot of weaker players at all. It wasn't obvious who was going to score poorly and who was going to score well against the others. It felt like, especially in rapid, chances were kind of hard to come by. I had one good day yesterday (the first day of blitz section on Saturday) and that turned out to be enough,' Carlsen said on Sunday after the win. 'It speaks to the fact that it was a fairly even tournament overall. Nobody could really break away from the pack. It doesn't feel like I won. It feels like I just came here and played alright. Nobody really did anything special in the end. Then I usually end up winning,' he added. Despite Carlsen saying multiple times during the event that he was struggling with his 'flow', he lost just one rapid game (the infamous loss to Gukesh) and one blitz game (to Nodirbek Abdusattorov) in the 27 games.
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Told Magnus to lose… he tried, just wasn't possible': Magnus Carlsen's wife Ella jokes after world no 1 wins at Zagreb
Magnus Carlsen won the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia tournament on Sunday in Zagreb despite playing in what he called 'survival mode'. After the Norwegian's win, his wife Ella posted a hilarious clip on her Instagram Stories where she says: 'I actually told Magnus to just lose this tournament. But he couldn't. He tried. Just wasn't possible.' Ella was spotted watching the action unfold from a front row seat. Carlsen even called her a 'lucky charm'. Carlsen was trailing tournament leader Gukesh by four points after the three-day-long rapid section, but ended up winning by a 2.5-point lead over the rest of the field after the 18 games of blitz over the weekend. It must be noted that every rapid game offered two points for a win and one point for a draw, while in blitz, a win got you one point while a draw was worth half a point. After winning the title, the world no 1 from Norway himself admitted that he had struggled to get any 'flow' during the five-day-long event. 'I felt that I struggled most of the event. Partly because it was a very strong field this year. There weren't a lot of weaker players at all. It wasn't obvious who was going to score poorly and who was going to score well against the others. It felt like, especially in rapid, chances were kind of hard to come by. I had one good day yesterday (the first day of blitz section on Saturday) and that turned out to be enough,' Carlsen said. READ MORE: Third battle of war between Gukesh and 'survival mode' Magnus Carlsen ends in 14 moves and lasts just over one minute He went on to add: 'It speaks to the fact that it was a fairly even tournament overall. Nobody could really break away from the pack. It doesn't feel like I won. It feels like I just came here and played alright. Nobody really did anything special in the end. Then I usually end up winning.' READ MORE: Story of Magnus Carlsen and Gukesh's tournament in Zagreb in numbers as world no 1 wins and world champ ends 3rd The world no 1 also said that he had played some 'old man chess' which he explained was playing without any real tactics in games. Carlsen had flown to the event after spending a few weeks with Ella on their honeymoon. The duo had been in Stavanger before that playing in the Norway Chess, which is the only classical tournament that Carlsen is likely to play in this year.
India Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Magnus Carlsen trolls haters after Grand Chess Tour Zagreb win, deletes post later
Magnus Carlsen let his chess do the talking once again, capping a stunning comeback to win the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia title — his sixth straight Rapid and Blitz triumph on the Grand Chess Tour. With 22.5 points overall, Carlsen pulled away from the field in emphatic fashion, sealing the title with a final-round blitz win over local favourite Ivan aric. His blistering 7.5/9 on the first day of blitz had already set the stage, and a solid 5/9 on the final day was enough to finish 2.5 points clear of Wesley So, who took silver with 20 teenage prodigy and reigning world champion D Gukesh, who had dominated the rapid stage and even humbled Carlsen in Round 6, had to settle for third. He finished with 19.5 points, undone by a brutal collapse in the blitz ever the competitor, also had the final word — or meme, rather. He posted a cryptic celebratory image online after clinching the crown, a subtle jab at critics and perhaps a nod to those who questioned his comments earlier in the week. However, he delated the post from his X account later on Sunday. Just days earlier, the Norwegian had sparked controversy by calling Gukesh 'one of the presumably weaker players' in the field, a comment that raised eyebrows considering the Indian teenager had recently defeated him in classical format at Norway Chess. Gukesh responded the best way possible: with his second consecutive win over Carlsen, this time with Black in rapid, a calm and clinical performance that pushed him to the top of the that point, Gukesh looked like the man to beat. He stormed through the rapid stage with six wins, including victories over elite names like Carlsen and Wesley So, to finish clear at the top with 10 points. He held a three-point lead heading into the blitz and looked poised to make ROARS, GUKESH CRUMBLES IN BLITZBut the blitz portion brought a complete reversal of fortunes. Gukesh lost five of his first six blitz games on Day 1, drawing one and winning just one. His rhythm was off, nerves visible, and the crisp precision of his rapid games nowhere to be found. A final-round loss to compatriot R Praggnanandhaa capped a disappointing blitz performance that saw him lose six games on the first day stark contrast, Carlsen unleashed what he later called a 'decisive' run, scoring 7.5/9 on the opening blitz day to erase Gukesh's lead and seize control of the leaderboard.'From the morning, I felt this would be a tough day,' Carlsen said afterward. 'It was a very strong field but I'm happy to come out on top.'His second day of blitz wasn't as dominant, but his early lead gave him the cushion to close out the tournament without win marks Carlsen's sixth successive Rapid & Blitz title on the Grand Chess Tour, reinforcing his stranglehold on faster formats. While Gukesh has proven he belongs at the top, and his rapid triumphs over Carlsen cannot be ignored, the blitz segment exposed a gap in consistency, one the young Indian will no doubt look to close as he for his part, leaves Croatia with a bronze medal and the satisfaction of having beaten the sport's biggest name yet again. But for now, Carlsen's redemption arc is complete and the king of blitz remains firmly on his throne.- Ends
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Third Gukesh vs Magnus Carlsen battle in Zagreb ends in 14 moves and lasts one minute, four seconds
The final battle between world champion Gukesh and world no 1 Magnus Carlsen ended in a 14-move draw at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia. It was a battle that lasted barely a minute and five seconds. In their first clash at the Zagreb tournament, played in the rapid format, Gukesh had defied expectations off him and handed a defeat to the five-time world champion. Not just that, the youngest classical world champion in history had risen to the top of the leaderboard after the end of the three-day-long rapid section. But since the blitz portion of the event started in the tournament, Gukesh has experienced a string of defeats. He lost to Carlsen in their first blitz clash on Saturday. But on Sunday, the duo played out a quick draw in round 13 of the blitz portion. It was a battle that lasted just one minute and four seconds. When both players agreed to a draw, Gukesh had 5:10 seconds on his clock, more time than he had started the game with while Carlsen had 4:45. READ MORE | Garry Kasparov explains why playing Gukesh is 'like playing a computer': Have to beat him 5 times… he has many lives in each game Before the game, Carlsen said that he was playing in 'survival mode' and he was just hustling it. The draw against the Indian teenager was his third of the day out of four games, with his only win coming against Alireza Firouzja. Carlsen also drew with Anish Giri and Fabiano Caruana. The world champion from India, meanwhile, started the day with back-to-back defeats against Wesley So and Nodirbek Abdusattorov before defeating Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who was ahead of him in the standings. Despite leading the tournament by a handsome margin, Carlsen had said that he was 'feeling super shaky' before the Gukesh game. 'I feel super shaky. I feel like my play is not there at all so far. But there results are working out, so that's good! Now I'm kinda in survival mode. Obviously, the results are working out great in the other games for me. I really cannot get going so far. I'm managing to hustle it,' Carlsen told Take Take Take. READ MORE | Magnus Carlsen reacts to Gukesh defeat: 'Poor from me, got soundly punished… but all credit to Gukesh' The battle started with the world champion from India turning up first to the table and Carlsen being the last player from the 10-player field to arrive at the boards. Gukesh had 16.5 points at this stage while Carlsen was leading the event with 19.5 points. Gukesh, playing with white pieces, opted for a Ruy Lopez. He pushed his pawn to e4 and Carlsen, opting for his traditional tactics before the game, chose to spent 13 seconds adjusting his pieces, before responding. The game saw an Open Berlin Defense making an appearance. But soon, after a quick exchange of minor pieces, Carlsen's and Gukesh's queens did a little sideways shuffle to settle for a draw by threefold repetition.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
D Gukesh plays down Garry Kasparov's praise after beating Magnus Carlsen: 'One game at a time'
D Gukesh leads the Super United Rapid and Blitz tournament with wins including against Magnus Carlsen. (Image: Grand Chess Tour/X) D Gukesh played down high praise from legendary Garry Kasparov during the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia in Zagreb. It had come after the world chess champion made the World No. 1 Norwegian resign for a second game running. Following that win, Kasparov had questioned Carlsen's credentials and his era of dominance. 'Now we can question Magnus' domination,' Kasparov had said in the commentary. 'This is not just his second loss to Gukesh, it's a convincing loss. It's not a miracle or that Gukesh just kept benefitting from Magnus' terrible mistakes. It was a game that was a big fight. And Magnus lost.' Exclusive | Arjuna Awardee Vantika Agrawal: 'People still ask, 'Chess is fine, but what do you really do?'' Gukesh chose to play down Kasparov's comments but admitted it did feel nice to earn praise from the former world champion. "That's very nice to hear but I prefer not to think in those terms. I still see myself as a player who is working hard to improve every day. Just taking one game at a time, one tournament at a time. But it is nice of Garry to say that," Gukesh concluded the interview. After three days of rapid chess, Gukesh leads the tournament, part of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour, scoring 14 points out of 18 before heading to the blitz portion. Gukesh topped the charts, followed by Jan-Krzysztof Duda with 11 points, and Carlsen in third with 10 points. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
