Indian chess sensation D. Gukesh, the defending world champion, has taken the sole lead at the Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb, Croatia. His latest victory in the sixth round on Thursday came against none other than Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, the World No. 1.
Who Won and the Current Standings
- Gukesh emerged victorious against Magnus Carlsen in their rapid format encounter. This crucial win propelled Gukesh to 10 points, giving him the outright lead in the tournament after being a joint-leader on the opening day.
Gukesh’s Path to Victory
Prior to facing Carlsen, Gukesh had already shown strong form in the tournament. In the fourth and fifth rounds, he secured impressive wins against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, setting the stage for his high-stakes match against Carlsen.
Carlsen’s Pre-Match Comments
In a notable lead-up to their game, Magnus Carlsen had made public remarks regarding his perspective on playing Gukesh. He stated that he would approach the match as if he were facing “one of the presumably weaker players” in the tournament. Carlsen expressed skepticism about Gukesh’s proven ability in this specific format, despite acknowledging his previous good performance in Zagreb, implying that the Indian teenager still needed to demonstrate his prowess among such a strong field.
What’s Next for Gukesh and Carlsen
This rapid format match was just the first of three scheduled encounters between Gukesh and Carlsen in this tournament. Their upcoming matches will shift to the more fast-paced blitz format, promising further exciting contests between the two chess titans.
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