Gukesh Stuns Magnus Carlsen After World No. 1’s ‘Weaker Player’ Jibe

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Gukesh Stuns Magnus Carlsen After World No. 1's ‘Weaker Player’ Jibe

Indian chess prodigy and reigning World Champion D. Gukesh delivered a stunning rebuke to Magnus Carlsen on Thursday, defeating the world No. 1 just days after the Norwegian had dismissed him as “one of the presumably weaker players” at the Super United Rapid and Blitz tournament in Croatia.

The 18-year-old phenom, playing with Black pieces, clinically outmanoeuvred Carlsen in a round-six rapid game to storm into the sole lead of the prestigious Grand Chess Tour event. It was Gukesh’s second consecutive victory over Carlsen, following his historic win at Norway Chess last month.

The victory was a perfect answer to Carlsen’s pre-tournament comments that had raised eyebrows in the chess world. The Norwegian had suggested that Gukesh, despite being the classical world champion, had “a lot to prove” in faster formats and that he would approach their game as if playing a weaker opponent.

Gukesh proved him wrong in a controlled and assured performance. Despite Carlsen gaining an early advantage with the English opening, Gukesh seized the initiative with a sharp pawn push on his 26th move. As the pressure mounted and Carlsen’s time dwindled, the Norwegian’s position collapsed, forcing him to resign after 49 moves.

The victory drew high praise from chess legend Garry Kasparov, who was on commentary. “Now we can question Magnus’ domination,” Kasparov said. “This isn’t just another loss. It’s a convincing one. Gukesh didn’t just capitalise on mistakes—he played better.”

The win over Carlsen capped a brilliant day for the Chennai-based teenager. After losing his first game of the day, Gukesh bounced back with three consecutive victories against Alireza Firouzja, fellow Indian R. Praggnanandhaa, and finally, Carlsen, to end the day on 10 points, four ahead of the world No. 1.

“I wasn’t too disheartened after the first-round loss,” a calm Gukesh said after his remarkable comeback. With one day of rapid chess remaining before the blitz section begins, the young World Champion is in firm control of the tournament, having let his moves do all the talking.

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