- Thursday, June 05, 2025
The 19-year-old Chennai lad surprised the Norwegian when it seemed he was on the verge of losing the game
By: India Weekly
INDIAN grandmaster and world champion D Gukesh finally got his revenge on five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, defeating the No.1 player for the first time in a classical game in Round 6 of Norway Chess Stavanger on Sunday (1).
Days after Carlsen inflicted a huge blow to Gukesh’s chances in the opening round of the tournament, the Chennai lad who turned 19 only a few days ago, struck back, catching the Norwegian by surprise just when it seemed he was on the verge of losing the game to earn three points.
The Indian jumped to the second spot with 8.5 points and now trails behind Carlsen and American Fabiano Caruana by just one point (9.5).
It was a huge comeback for Gukesh, who had looked out of sorts in the opening game against Carlsen.
He seemed to be losing Sunday’s game as well before he turned things around to win his maiden Classical chess contest in 62 moves and over four hours of nerve-wracking chess.
While Gukesh refused to speak to the media, his Polish coach Grzegorz Gajewski said the win will give the teenager “a huge pump” going deeper into the tournament and in future battles with the Norwegian.
“It (win) just gives a huge pump of confidence (to Gukesh) because once you’ve done it, you know you can do it again. And that’s the plan,” said Gajewski.
His compatriot Arjun Erigaisi is in the third spot with 7.5 points, along with Chinese Grandmaster Wei Yi.
Humpy leading
India’s woman grandmaster Koneru Humpy is leading the six-player double round-robin Norway Chess tournament with 8.5 points at the halfway mark, and could become the first Indian to win the title.
She currently shares the top position with Ukrainian grandmaster Anna Olehivna Muzychuk.
Thirty-eight-year-old Humpy’s performance in Norway chess last year was underwhelming, but she is determined to excel this year and improve her ratings and world rankings.
She has found a way to balance chess and family, taking short breaks to recover and work on her game.
“In fact, when I lose, I don’t sign up quickly (for a tournament). I do take time to recover from that and work more on that (game). But, nowadays, even the organizers are smart enough to plan quite ahead.
“So, we are committed by that time. Yeah, sometimes it’s very hard to come back from those losses also,” the two-time Asian Games gold medallist conceded.
Her compatriot Vaishali Rameshbabu is in the third position with 8 points, behind Chinese grandmaster Ju Wenjun (8.5 points).
