May 27, 2025 06:07 AM IST
D Gukesh will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways in the next round, especially after this defeat to Magnus Carlsen.
Magnus Carlsen was at his best, defeating D Gukesh in the opening round at Norway Chess 2025, in a classical contest which lasted for over four hours and 56 moves. It was the first time the pair met in the format, since D Gukesh became the World Championship.
Carlsen was at his best right from the get-go, using the Jobava London in his opening to unnerve Gukesh. But Gukesh fought back with his black pieces and didn’t fall into the trap, and neutralised it by the 11th move. A huge blunder in the closing stages saw Gukesh resign, when he used his queen to check Carlsen, instead of the rook.
Speaking to Take Take Take after the win, Carlsen said, “I don’t know if you should call this match old-school or new-school because it had very little theory. I was by no means better but I think we both wanted to fight.”
“Eventually I wasn’t too happy to get into this endgame because there is like a little bit of imbalance there but I think he did great for a while but then you know we got to a where we both pass pawns and then anything can happen,” he added.
Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi defeated Chinese GM Wei Yi after the duo agreed to a draw. The Indian GM came out on top in the Armageddon. On the other hand, Hikaru Nakamura beat Fabiano Caruana in an all-American battle.
Gukesh will be hoping to bounce back to winning ways in the next round, especially after this defeat. On the other hand, Carlsen has once again proved to everyone why he is the current World No. 1, even though he hardly features in classical tournaments lately, instead focussing on shorter formats and Chess960.
Gukesh will be regreting his blunder too, as the match was expected to end in a draw. But his error saw the tide shift to Carlsen’s favour in a time scramble.
Be First to Comment