Latest news with #SuperbetClassic
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First Post
02-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Gukesh doesn't miss while coming at 'King' Carlsen, justifies the 'world champion' tag with a performance of a lifetime
After losing to Magnus Carlsen earlier in Norway Chess, D Gukesh defeated the world No 1 on Sunday, fighting back from a near-impossible position with his never-say-die attitude to collect what arguably is the biggest win of his career so far. read more 'Obviously, becoming the world champion doesn't mean that I am the best player in the world. Obviously, there's Magnus'. Despite fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming the youngest world champion in chess history at the tender age of 18, breaking the record that had previously been set by the legendary Garry Kasparov, there was a part of Gukesh Dommaraju that wasn't satisfied yet. And though Gukesh was overcome with emotion after his hard-fought victory over China's Ding Liren in the best-of-14 series in December, he couldn't help but announce his next objective – to challenge and defeat Magnus Carlsen in Classical chess, the Norwegian Grandmaster who has been the world No 1 since 2011 and is considered one of the greatest of all time. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD That opportunity finally came knocking six months after his epic triumph over Ding, with Carlsen and Gukesh headlining the 13th edition of the Norway Chess in Stavanger. Gukesh had been having a largely underwhelming run in 2025; he began the year on a high with a runner-up finish at Tata Steel Chess but struggled to make an impact in the two Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour events that have taken place so far in Weissenhaus and Paris. Gukesh finally shows Carlsen what he's capable of His poor run in the Freestyle format appeared to have shaken his confidence in the Classical format as well, with the reigning world champion finishing second-from-bottom at the Superbet Classic in Romania, an event that was played in the Standard format. As for the ongoing tournament, Gukesh began his campaign with back-to-back defeats against Carlsen and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, at which point Gukesh's critics were beginning to wonder if his World Championship triumph was something of a fluke or not. Gukesh, however, proved that even though he might still be a work in progress in Freestyle Chess as well as the faster Rapid and Blitz formats, he cannot be held down for too long in the Classical format. And soon enough, he bounced back with a victory over world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura in Round 3, followed by an Armageddon win against Fabiano Caruana after holding the American Grandmaster to a stalemate. And on Sunday, following a draw against Wei Yi, Gukesh found himself coming face to face with Carlsen for the second time in the ongoing event. The first time he had come face to face with the world No 1 in the Classical format since his victory over Ding, Gukesh did put up a spirited fight only to end up losing a thriller. What made his victory in his second meeting with the defending champion and home favourite even sweeter was the fact that Carlsen was actually bossing the game at one point despite playing with black pieces, and was staring at the prospect of completing a double against the Chennai lad, especially after a queen exchange that was initiated in the 27th move. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD After a series of exchanges that left both players with their rooks and a knight at the end of the 40th move, Gukesh began chasing his opponent's king, which began to put Carlsen under pressure and slowly started turning the tide in his favour. And repeated checks from Gukesh eventually led to a blunder by Carlsen – in the 52nd move in which he chose to give the white king a check with his knight (Ne2+). Carlsen throws a fit after being made to eat his words And in the end, Carlsen had all of two pawns left on the board when Gukesh boxed him into a corner with his knight and king, eliciting a frustrated reaction from the former in the form of a bang on the table that resulted in the pieces getting knocked around, which was quickly followed by an apology and a pat on Gukesh's back. Much like his win in December, Gukesh refused to give up despite finding himself cornered, and it was his doggedness that helped him emerge triumphant. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It wasn't too long ago that Carlsen had put out a pompous statement after beating Gukesh. 'You come at the king, you best not miss,' is the line from the popular HBO series The Wire that the 34-year-old had said after his victory in Round 1. Gukesh, however, remained his humble self after pulling off what arguably is the biggest victory of his career so far. '99 out of 100 times I would lose. Just a lucky day,' Gukesh, who had a look of disbelief on his face after beating Carlsen, said on Sunday. The victory took Gukesh, who turned 19 just last week, to the third spot on the standings after six rounds, and he could very well be in the running for the top spot should he collect another Classical victory or two, including against compatriot Arjun later on Monday. The significance of Gukesh's latest performance, however, goes beyond the 2025 Norway Chess; for once, Carlsen and the rest of the chess world will finally acknowledge that the teenager does belong among chess' elite and that he is deserving of the tag of 'world champion'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And this might just make the rivalry between Gukesh and Carlsen, which was largely one-sided in the latter's favour until now, a lot spicier considering the Indian still has several years ahead of him.
Economic Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Economic Times
Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Classic after a tough tiebreak
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France to win his first-ever tournament on the Grand Chess Tour by showcasing his supremacy in the the Superbet Classic here. The Indian, after drawing with the Armenian-American GM Levon Aronianin in the final round, was assured of a tie for the first place. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja also won to match Praggnanandhaa on 5.5 points. This led to a tiebreaker between the three, with five minutes and a two-second increment after every move. In the first game with black pieces, Praggnanandhaa had to work hard in a slightly difficult position against Firouzja but the end result was a draw. In the second game Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave. In the last game of the event, Praggnanandhaa crashed through the defences of Vachier-Lagrave earn the top prize. The Indian scored 1.5 points in his blitz games, half a point more than Firouzja and one more than the other French Grandmaster. It was a sweet comeback for Praggnanandhaa after last year's debacle when he lost all his games in the play-offs. "I didn't do so well last time. I guess getting to rest a few hours before the tiebreak certainly helps," Praggnanandhaa said at the prize-giving ceremony. After his relatively early draw with Aronian in the Classical game, the Indian had rested in his room for a few hours. Praggnanandhaa also thanked his second for the tournament, GM Vaibhav Suri, and his permanent trainer Grandmaster RB Ramesh on the occasion. The Indian won a cash award of USD 77,667 (around Rs 66 lakh) for his efforts. Results (Round 9): R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5.5) drew with Levon Aronian (USA, 4); Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou, 4) lost to Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 5.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5.5) beat Jan Krzysztof (Pol, 3); Wesley So (4) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4.5); D Gukesh (Ind, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5). Tiebreak result: Praggnanandhaa drew with Firouzja; Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave; Praggnanandhaa beat Vachier-Lagrave.
New Indian Express
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Classic after a tough tiebreak
BUCHAREST: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France to win his first-ever tournament on the Grand Chess Tour by showcasing his supremacy in the Superbet Classic here. The Indian, after drawing with the Armenian-American GM Levon Aronianin in the final round, was assured of a tie for the first place. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja also won to match Praggnanandhaa on 5.5 points. This led to a tiebreaker between the three, with five minutes and a two-second increment after every move. In the first game with black pieces, Praggnanandhaa had to work hard in a slightly difficult position against Firouzja but the end result was a draw. In the second game Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave. In the last game of the event, Praggnanandhaa crashed through the defences of Vachier-Lagrave earn the top prize. The Indian scored 1.5 points in his blitz games, half a point more than Firouzja and one more than the other French Grandmaster. It was a sweet comeback for Praggnanandhaa after last year's debacle when he lost all his games in the play-offs. "I didn't do so well last time. I guess getting to rest a few hours before the tiebreak certainly helps," Praggnanandhaa said at the prize-giving ceremony. After his relatively early draw with Aronian in the Classical game, the Indian had rested in his room for a few hours. Praggnanandhaa also thanked his second for the tournament, GM Vaibhav Suri, and his permanent trainer, Grandmaster RB Ramesh on the occasion. The Indian won a cash award of USD 77,667 (around Rs 66 lakh) for his efforts. Results (Round 9): R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5.5) drew with Levon Aronian (USA, 4); Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou, 4) lost to Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 5.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5.5) beat Jan Krzysztof (Pol, 3); Wesley So (4) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4.5); D Gukesh (Ind, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5). Tiebreak result: Praggnanandhaa drew with Firouzja; Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave; Praggnanandhaa beat Vachier-Lagrave.
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Classic after a tough tiebreak
Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France to win his first-ever tournament on the Grand Chess Tour by showcasing his supremacy in the Superbet Classic in Romania. The Indian, after drawing with the Armenian-American GM Levon Aronianin in the final round, was assured of a tie for the first place. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja also won to match Praggnanandhaa on 5.5 points. This led to a tiebreaker between the three, with five minutes and a two-second increment after every move. In the first game with black pieces, Praggnanandhaa had to work hard in a slightly difficult position against Firouzja but the end result was a draw. In the second game Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave. In the last game of the event, Praggnanandhaa crashed through the defences of Vachier-Lagrave earn the top prize. The Indian scored 1.5 points in his blitz games, half a point more than Firouzja and one more than the other French Grandmaster. It was a sweet comeback for Praggnanandhaa after last year's debacle when he lost all his games in the play-offs. 'I didn't do so well last time. I guess getting to rest a few hours before the tiebreak certainly helps,' Praggnanandhaa said at the prize-giving ceremony. After his relatively early draw with Aronian in the Classical game, the Indian had rested in his room for a few hours. Praggnanandhaa also thanked his second for the tournament, GM Vaibhav Suri, and his permanent trainer Grandmaster RB Ramesh on the occasion. The Indian won a cash award of $77,667 (around ₹66 lakh) for his efforts. Results (Round 9): R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5.5) drew with Levon Aronian (USA, 4); Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou, 4) lost to Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 5.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5.5) beat Jan Krzysztof (Pol, 3); Wesley So (4) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4.5); D Gukesh (Ind, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5). Tiebreak result: Praggnanandhaa drew with Firouzja; Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave; Praggnanandhaa beat Vachier-Lagrave.
India Today
17-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Praggnanandhaa wins Superbet Classic after a tough tiebreak
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France to win his first-ever tournament on the Grand Chess Tour by showcasing his supremacy in the Superbet Classic Indian, after drawing with the Armenian-American GM Levon Aronianin in the final round, was assured of a tie for first Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja also won to match Praggnanandhaa on 5.5 points. This led to a tiebreaker between the three, with five minutes and a two-second increment after every In the first game with black pieces, Praggnanandhaa had to work hard in a slightly difficult position against Firouzja but the end result was a draw. In the second game, Firouzja drew with the last game of the event, Praggnanandhaa crashed through the defences of Vachier-Lagrave to earn the top prize. The Indian scored 1.5 points in his blitz games, half a point more than Firouzja and one more than the other French was a sweet comeback for Praggnanandhaa after last year's debacle when he lost all his games in the play-offs."I didn't do so well last time. I guess getting to rest a few hours before the tiebreak certainly helps," Praggnanandhaa said at the prize-giving his relatively early draw with Aronian in the Classical game, the Indian had rested in his room for a few also thanked his second for the tournament, GM Vaibhav Suri, and his permanent trainer Grandmaster RB Ramesh on the occasion. The Indian won a cash award of USD 77,667 (around Rs 66 lakh) for his (Round 9): R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5.5) drew with Levon Aronian (USA, 4); Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou, 4) lost to Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 5.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 5.5) beat Jan Krzysztof (Pol, 3); Wesley So (4) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4.5); D Gukesh (Ind, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5).Tiebreak result: Praggnanandhaa drew with Firouzja; Firouzja drew with Vachier-Lagrave; Praggnanandhaa beat Watch
