World champion Gukesh Dommaraju earned his first classical victory over Magnus Carlsen on Sunday, toppling the longtime world No 1 in dramatic fashion and prompting the Norwegian to punch the table in frustration before storming out of the venue.
The win in round six of the double round-robin Norway Chess tournament marked a milestone moment in Gukesh’s young career, not for its stakes but for who it came against. Under pressure for much of the contest, the 19-year-old Indian grandmaster turned the tables in the final phase, capitalizing on a rare Carlsen blunder in time trouble to steal the point and shake up the standings in Stavanger.
“Right now, what means the most to me is that I didn’t lose the game,” Gukesh said afterwards. “But yes, beating Magnus in any form is special.”
Carlsen had outplayed Gukesh with ease in their first-round meeting and looked poised to do so again, pressing from a superior position through the middlegame. But with both players operating on a 10-second increment, Carlsen faltered. Gukesh defended doggedly and pounced when the Norwegian miscalculated (52...Ne2+??), flipping the position with a precise counterattack.
The 34-year-old resigned shortly after then slammed his fist on the table, sending pieces rattling. It was an uncharacteristic display from the typically composed five-time world champion, who left the hall immediately and skipped his media duties.
“Well, we could say it was lucky,” said Gukesh’s coach Grzegorz Gajewski. “But we have to give a lot of credit to Guki for his stubbornness and for his resourcefulness.”
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was among those to congratulate Gukesh for the breakthrough, calling it “an exceptional achievement” that “showcases his brilliance and dedication”.
The result not only evened their head-to-head in this tournament but delivered a quiet rebuke to Carlsen’s recent criticism of Gukesh’s classical performances. After winning their earlier encounter, Carlsen had posted “You come at the king, you best not miss” on social media, an old Baltimore proverb that seemed to reinforce his aura as the game’s enduring alpha.
On Sunday, it was the teenager whose aim was true. Gukesh, who became the youngest ever undisputed world champion in December and celebrated his 19th birthday last Thursday, has struggled for consistency since claiming the crown. He came into Sunday’s round six with just one win in the tournament. The comeback against Carlsen could prove a needed confidence jolt heading into the closing rounds.
Carlsen, who’s held the top slot in Fide’s world rankings for nearly 15 straight years, strengthened his claim as the greatest player of any era in 2021, when he crushed Ian Nepomniachtchi in Dubai in his fourth defense of the world championship. But he decided against defending the title for a fifth time in 2023, citing a lack of motivation.
The win lifted Gukesh to 8½ points, one behind joint leaders Carlsen and the American Fabiano Caruana, with four rounds still to play. It also continued a trend of Indian breakthroughs at the Norway Chess tournament. Last year, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to beat Carlsen in classical play at this event. Now Gukesh has followed and arguably gone one better.
