After Magnus Carlsen calls D Gukesh ‘one of the weaker players', India's world champion responds by claiming joint lead in Croatia
Chess world champion D Gukesh shared the joint lead with former champion
Magnus Carlsen
after Day 1 of the SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz 2025 on Wednesday, scoring 4/6 points alongside Wesley So and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, despite Carlsen's pre-tournament remarks describing Gukesh as "one of the presumably weaker players.
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Gukesh secured victories against Alireza Firouzja and R Praggnanandhaa but faced a defeat against Duda. Carlsen's performance included two draws and a win to match Gukesh's points tally.
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The tournament has gained additional attention due to Carlsen's comments about Gukesh's abilities in rapid and blitz formats.
"Playing him in this tournament I will approach it as if I'm playing one of the presumably weaker players," Carlsen had stated while discussing his upcoming match with Gukesh.
The Norwegian World No. 1 elaborated on his assessment of Gukesh's capabilities in faster time controls.
"Gukesh actually played quite well here last time. But it remains to be proven that he's one of the best players in such a format. This is a very, very strong field that we have here. Players like Gukesh and Anish Giri… they have a lot to prove because there aren't a lot of players you can feast on. In the course of 27 rounds, things usually show.
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I hope for Gukesh's sake that he can play better."
The 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster, who claimed the World Chess Championship title in 2024 in the classical format, will face Carlsen on Day 2 of the tournament.
The classical format, which features longer time controls, has been recognized as Gukesh's primary strength in competitive chess.
Carlsen has identified Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana as the favourites to win the tournament in Croatia.
The tournament field includes other prominent Grandmasters such as Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Ivan Saric, contributing to what Carlsen described as a "very strong field."
Gukesh and Carlsen will meet on Day 2 of The SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz 2025.
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
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