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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
Gukesh overcomes Erigaisi challenge to jump to second spot in Norway Chess
Reigning world champion D Gukesh continued to turn adversity into opportunity as he wriggled out of a virtually intractable position to beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi for the first time ever in a classical game and jump to sole second position after round 7 of the Norway Chess. As has been the trend in Gukesh's campaign in this elite six-payer double round-robin tournament, the teenager, playing with white, showed nerves of steel to secure his second consecutive win, without going through the rigmarole of an Armageddon tie-break, to take sweet revenge for his loss to Erigaisi earlier in Round 2. The win, which came after a nerve-wracking victory against defending champion and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, saw Gukesh, 19, overtake the 34-year-old Norwegian on the points table with 11.5 points. This was also Gukesh's first win in three attempts against Erigaisi, who had beaten the world champion at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee to spoil his title-winning chances, and then again in Round 2 here. With three more rounds to go, pole sitter American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Wei Yi of China, is on 12.5 points. Carlsen is third with 11 points following his Armageddon win against another American Grandmaster and world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, who is fourth with 8.5 points. Erigaisi dropped to fifth position with 7.5 points following the loss, while Wei Yi is placed sixth with 6.5 points. For the first three-and-a-half hours of the game, Gukesh was on the defensive but finally managed to up his game to earn a win, tying down his opponent in time trouble. Erigaisi faltered that wee bit, which gave Gukesh an opening that he exploited and forced his opponent to resign after some intense play. "Probably I was just losing it at some point. I was just slowly getting outplayed. From the opening nothing went my way but once I got to this position I just had to keep making moves which doesn't lose on the spot and in the time scrambles things happen," Gukesh told the broadcaster after the match. Analysing the game, Gukesh's Polish coach Grzegorz Gajewski said, though it was not the best game played by the reigning world champion but he was happy that he had pulled it off. "Probably not his best game ever, at least not the first half of the game, but definitely a very good second half of the game, so happy with that." On whether the win on Monday was because of a change of mindset following Gukesh's come-from-behind victory against Carlsen on Sunday, Gajewski said, "When you're in such trouble (as in Sunday's game) and you keep fighting and you get rewarded for it, you have even more faith that it makes sense to keep fighting. "So, on the very next day (against Erigaisi), when you're again in trouble, you definitely know what to do, you just keep fighting," opined Gukesh's coach. He added that Gukesh was aiming for playing the perfect games, where the margin of error was bare minimum, which was finally contributing to his success here. "He's demanding the very highest level of accuracy and precision from you (opponent), and if you're not up to it, you might mess up the position even if you're number one in the world, said the Pole. On whether the win against Erigaisi was bigger than the victory over Carlsen, given that Gukesh had never beaten his Indian counterpart ever in Classical chess before the win on Monday, the coach said, "Yes, definitely, Erigaisi is a very difficult opponent to beat, but I would not compare the two games. You really have to achieve a lot to be compared with Magnus in any regard. (For Monday's game) Gukesh was just focused. It was nice, definitely very nice yesterday (to beat Carlsen), but today is a new challenge and after that there is another challenge. "Gukesh was just making moves; he was completely in the zone from the first move to the last move He has extraordinary calculation abilities, which combined with his fighting spirit help him defend so many positions, added the Pole. The Carlsen vs Nakamura game was interesting as the two players agreed to a draw after just 21 moves, with both having about an hour-and-a-half each left on the clock. In the Armageddon, Carlsen defeated the world No.2 to log in 1.5 points. In the women's section, Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk got the better of two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy in Armageddon tie-break, while GM R. Vaishali fell apart in time trouble against China's Lei Tingjie. Ju Wenjun is leading the table with 11.5 points, followed by Muzychuk (11 points) in second and Humpy in third with 10.5 points. Results (Round 7) =========== Open: D Gukesh (Ind 11.5 points) bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind 7.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA 12.5) bt Wei Yi (Chn 6.5); Magnus Carlsen (Nor 11) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA 8.5) in Armageddon tie-break. Women: Lei Tingjie (Chn 9) bt R Vaishali (Ind 8); Ju Wenjun (Chn 11.5 points) bt Sara Khadem (Esp - 6); Koneru Humpy (Ind - 10.5) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr 11) in Armageddon tie-break.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis after D Gukesh beat Magnus Carlsen: ‘I feel for Magnus here, but…'
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has responded to D Gukesh 's win over Magnus Carlsen in the 2025 Norway Chess tournament. Taking to microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), Hassabis said 'Chess is a much more intense game than people realise'. In his post, DeepMind CEO also sympathized with Carlsen, stating 'I feel for Magnus here (he was winning earlier), but congrats also to Gukesh!'. Hassabi's post came after Gukesh scored his first-ever classical victory over Carlsen in a dramatic sixth-round game of the ongoing 2025 Norway Chess tournament. Although Carlsen had a better position for most of the match, a late error allowed Gukesh to turn the tables and mark his first win against the world chess champion. Carlsen's reaction—slamming the table and leaving without addressing the media— in contrast with Gukesh's calm demeanor has been widely shared and discussed online. Anand Mahindra reacts to D Gukesh's win Billionaire Anand Mahindra also praised Gukesh through an X post. Mahindra highlighted the emotional weight of the moment, noting how Gukesh's composed reaction stood in stark contrast to Carlsen's visible frustration after the loss. He wrote: 'Carlsen's visible frustration at the end wasn't just a tantrum — it was the greatest compliment the World Champion could receive from the GOAT No fist pump. No smirk. Gukesh didn't need one. His silence roared louder than Carlsen's exit.' Meanwhile, the Norway Chess tournament continues. Earlier today, Gukesh beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi for the first time ever, jumping to second position after round 7 of the tournament. This was also Gukesh's first win in three games against Erigaisi, who had defeated the world champion at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee — hurting his title chances — and beat him again in Round 2 of this event. Itel A95 5G Unboxing & First Look | AI Features and Sleek Design at just Rs 10,199 AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Mint
3 days ago
- Sport
- Mint
Gukesh overcomes Erigaisi challenge to jump to 2nd spot in Norway Chess after victory against world No.1 Magnus Carlsen
World champion D Gukesh, 19, turned a difficult position into a win, beating compatriot Arjun Erigaisi for the first time in a classical game. With this win in round 7 of the Norway Chess tournament, he moved into second place on his own. It comes after a nerve-wracking victory against defending champion and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen. As has been the trend in Gukesh's campaign in this elite six-payer double round-robin tournament, the teenager, playing with white, showed nerves of steel to secure his second consecutive win, without going through the rigmarole of an Armageddon tie-break, to take sweet revenge for his loss to Erigaisi earlier in Round 2. The win saw Gukesh overtake the 34-year-old Norwegian on the points table with 11.5 points. This was also Gukesh's first win in three attempts against Erigaisi, who had beaten the world champion at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee to spoil his title-winning chances, and then again in Round 2 here. With three more rounds to go, pole sitter American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Wei Yi of China, is on 12.5 points. Carlsen is third with 11 points following his Armageddon win against another American Grandmaster and world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, who is fourth with 8.5 points. Erigaisi dropped to fifth position with 7.5 points following the loss, while Wei Yi is placed sixth with 6.5 points. For the first three-and-a-half hours of the game, Gukesh was on the defensive but finally managed to up his game to earn a win, tying down his opponent in time trouble. Erigaisi faltered that wee bit, which gave Gukesh an opening that he exploited and forced his opponent to resign after some intense play. "Probably I was just losing it at some point. I was just slowly getting outplayed. From the opening nothing went my way but once I got to this position I just had to keep making moves which doesn't lose on the spot and in the time scrambles things happen," Gukesh told the broadcaster after the match. Analysing the game, Gukesh's Polish coach Grzegorz Gajewski said, though it was not the best game played by the reigning world champion but he was happy that he had pulled it off, mentioning, "Probably not his best game ever, at least not the first half of the game, but definitely a very good second half of the game, so happy with that." On whether the win on Monday was because of a change of mindset following Gukesh's come-from-behind victory against Carlsen on Sunday, Gajewski said, "When you're in such trouble (as in Sunday's game) and you keep fighting and you get rewarded for it, you have even more faith that it makes sense to keep fighting. "So, on the very next day (against Erigaisi), when you're again in trouble, you definitely know what to do, you just keep fighting," he added. He further stated that Gukesh was aiming for playing the perfect games, where the margin of error was bare minimum, which was finally contributing to his success here. "He's demanding the very highest level of accuracy and precision from you (opponent), and if you're not up to it, you might mess up the position even if you're number one in the world,' said Pole said. On whether the win against Erigaisi was bigger than the victory over Carlsen, given that Gukesh had never beaten his Indian counterpart ever in Classical chess before the win on Monday, the coach said, "Yes, definitely, Erigaisi is a very difficult opponent to beat, but I would not compare the two games. 'You really have to achieve a lot to be compared with Magnus in any regard. (For Monday's game) Gukesh was just focused. It was nice, definitely very nice yesterday (to beat Carlsen), but today is a new challenge and after that there is another challenge. Gukesh was just making moves; he was completely in the zone from the first move to the last move… He has extraordinary calculation abilities, which combined with his fighting spirit help him defend so many positions,' Pole added. The Carlsen vs Nakamura game was interesting as the two players agreed to a draw after just 21 moves, with both having about an hour-and-a-half each left on the clock. In the Armageddon, Carlsen defeated the world No.2 to log in 1.5 points. In the women's section, Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk got the better of two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy in Armageddon tie-break, while GM R. Vaishali fell apart in time trouble against China's Lei Tingjie. Ju Wenjun is leading the table with 11.5 points, followed by Muzychuk (11 points) in second and Humpy in third with 10.5 points. Open: D Gukesh (Ind – 11.5 points) bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind – 7.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA – 12.5) bt Wei Yi (Chn – 6.5); Magnus Carlsen (Nor – 11) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA – 8.5) in Armageddon tie-break. Women: Lei Tingjie (Chn – 9) bt R Vaishali (Ind – 8); Ju Wenjun (Chn – 11.5 points) bt Sara Khadem (Esp - 6); Koneru Humpy (Ind - 10.5) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr – 11) in Armageddon tie-break.
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First Post
4 days ago
- 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.
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First Post
28-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Norway Chess 2025: D Gukesh fights back from consecutive losses with victory over Hikaru Nakamura
Reigning world champion D Gukesh fought back from consecutive losses in the first two rounds of the 2025 Norway Chess in Stavanger, Norway by defeating world No 3 Hikaru Nakamura in Round 3 on Wednesday. read more World champion D Gukesh shakes Hikaru Nakamura's hand after defeating the world No 2 in Round 3 of the 2025 Norway Chess. Image credit: Michal Walusza/Norway Chess Reigning world champion D Gukesh roared back from consecutive losses at the 2025 Norway Chess with a victory over Hikaru Nakamura in Round 3 of the elite chess tournament on Wednesday. The third day of the event in Stavanger, Norway also witnessed home favourite and defending champion Magnus Carlsen lose yet another Armageddon playoff after being held to a draw for the second time in as many games. World No 3 Gukesh, who has been having a turbulent run across formats this year since finishing runner-up at the Tata Steel Chess in February, defeated world No 2 Hikaru in 42 moves while playing with white pieces to finally open his Norway Chess 2025 account – doing so so by collecting all three points on offer. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh had lost to Carlsen and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi in the first two rounds of the double-round-robin tournament, the former being his first meeting with the world No 1 since being crowned the youngest world champion in the sport's history in December, finding himself under time pressure in both games. Not only did the Chennai lad manage his time a lot better against Hikaru on Wednesday, he was also a lot more accurate with his moves (93.7 per cent) compared to his American opponent (85.5 per cent). And what swung the game decisively in his favour was a blunder by Hikaru in his 31st move (Qd6), with the Indian quickly capitalising on the mistake and clinching victory shortly after. 'I feel quite good (about the win). I think my time management was much better today than before. He (Nakamura) had some drawing chances, but I guess, overall, it was good,' Gukesh said after his victory, which came on the eve of his 19th birthday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Obviously, the last two games were kind of tough. But today I just tried to play it as a fresh tournament. Glad I played (like that),' he added. Carlsen loses yet another Armageddon game Carlsen, meanwhile, lost a second consecutive Armageddon game after opening his account with a thrilling victory over Gukesh on Monday. The five-time world champion had been held to a stalemate by Hikaru while playing with black pieces in Round 2, losing the subsequent tie-breaker. He suffered a similar fate against Wei Yi, China's top-rated player who is ranked eighth in the world, with one key difference – he had the advantage of playing with white pieces this time. The two players, however, shook hands after Carlsen's 51st move following a series of repeated moves. As for their Armageddon faceoff, Carlsen ceded advantage to his opponent with a couple of questionable moves (24 Rxf7 and 25 Rxf5), with the second one being an outright blunder that allowed the Chinese GM to wrap the game up shortly after. Wei Yi takes down Magnus with Black in a stylish Armageddon win! What a performance by China's No.1 and his first ever victory against Magnus 👏🔥 #NorwayChess #magnuscarlsen #weiyi — Norway Chess (@NorwayChess) May 28, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As for the other board, Fabiano Caruana defeated Arjun in 44 moves while playing with white pieces to collect his second victory on the trot and establish himself as the sole leader after three rounds with 6 points, with Carlsen at the second spot with 5. World No 4 Arjun had won the Armageddon game against Wei on Monday before defeating Gukesh in 62 moves , and suffered his first loss of the tournament on Wednesday, giving his opponent the upper hand after committing a pawn blunder (dxc4) in his 28th move. As for the 'Women' section, Grandmaster Koneru Humpy was back to winning ways as she defeated Spain's Sara Khadem in 42 moves while playing with white pieces in the third round. The win allowed Humpy to move into the joint-lead with Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk, whom she had lost to on Tuesday, on 6 points. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Muzychuk held China's Lei Tingjie – the highest-rated player in the section - to a draw in the Classical as well as Armageddon games while playing with black pieces to collect 1.5 points. Meanwhile, GM R Vaishali – the other Indian in the women's section, held Ju Wenjun to a stalemate but lost the Armageddon tie-breaker to collect a solitary point and remain fifth in the standings with two points. Norway Chess 2025: Standings after Round 3 Position Player Points 1 Fabiano Caruana 6.0 2 Magnus Carlsen 5.0 3 Hikaru Nakamura 4.5 4 Arjun Erigaisi 4.5 5 D Gukesh 3.0 6 Wei Yi 2.5 Norway Chess Women 2025: Standings after Round 3 Position Player Points 1 Anna Muzychuk 6.0 2 Koneru Humpy 6.0 3 Lei Tingjie 4.0 4 Ju Wenjun 4.0 5 R Vaishali 2.0 6 Sara Khadem 2.0
