NEW DELHI: Defending world champion D. Gukesh stunned World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the sixth round of the Grand Chess Tour SuperUnited Rapid 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia, on Thursday, seizing sole lead in the tournament with 10 points.
Gukesh, who had shared the lead after Day 1, continued his dominant run by defeating Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in the fourth and fifth rounds, setting the stage for a high-stakes clash with Carlsen.
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Ahead of their much-anticipated encounter, Carlsen had downplayed the challenge, remarking that he would treat the game "as if I’m playing one of the presumably weaker players."
But Gukesh proved otherwise, outplaying the Norwegian in the rapid format and making a strong statement of intent. This was the first of three scheduled meetings between the two chess heavyweights in the tournament — the remaining games will be played in the blitz format.
"It's nice that I could win two games in a row from losing positions — and against Magnus," Gukesh said after the win.
With five wins in a row, Gukesh takes a two-point lead into tomorrow’s final day of rapid chess.
"A very important day! Now we can question Magnus’ domination. It’s not just the second loss — it’s a very convincing loss!" Garry Kasparov said after Gukesh beat Carlsen.
Gukesh, who had shared the lead after Day 1, continued his dominant run by defeating Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in the fourth and fifth rounds, setting the stage for a high-stakes clash with Carlsen.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
Ahead of their much-anticipated encounter, Carlsen had downplayed the challenge, remarking that he would treat the game "as if I’m playing one of the presumably weaker players."
But Gukesh proved otherwise, outplaying the Norwegian in the rapid format and making a strong statement of intent. This was the first of three scheduled meetings between the two chess heavyweights in the tournament — the remaining games will be played in the blitz format.
"It's nice that I could win two games in a row from losing positions — and against Magnus," Gukesh said after the win.
With five wins in a row, Gukesh takes a two-point lead into tomorrow’s final day of rapid chess.
"A very important day! Now we can question Magnus’ domination. It’s not just the second loss — it’s a very convincing loss!" Garry Kasparov said after Gukesh beat Carlsen.
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