Magnus Carlsen's broken confidence summed up in his own words after shock defeat to D Gukesh: ‘I just don't think it's…'
Carlsen's reaction summed up the moment as he lost, slamming the table in rage. After that, he also shook hands with Gukesh, who stood up, and looked dazed. Meanwhile, Carlsen even patted his back, on his way out.
Speaking to TV 2 Sport (shared via Norway Chess on social media), Carlsen spoke on his defeat to Gukesh and felt that he doesn't find classical chess fun anymore. In his words, the Norwegian also looked like he was finally doubting himself for the first time ever.
'I generally feel good in this tournament, I just don't think it's fun to play anymore, and that's the problem. I'm sitting there in the middle of the game, thinking that I have the same position as I had so many times. It's just moving slowly,' he said.
'I don't find it exciting, and I know I can play really well. It is satisfying to play well, but then I collapsed towards the end, and showed great weaknesses; Gukesh fights really well,' he added.
It was also Gukesh's maiden classical win vs Carlsen, as the match finished in 62 moves and over four hours.
Meanwhile, Gukesh was humble as ever after the win. Speaking to Chess24, he said, 'I was just trying to play moves that were tricky for him and luckily he got into time scramble. One thing I learnt from this tournament is that time scrambles can get too much out of control.'
'99 out of 100 times I would lose. Just a lucky day,' he added.
For Gukesh, the win had a special meaning, as he also defeated the World No. 1, who had quit the official FIDE cycle and would not be participating in the World C'ships.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
FIDE Women's World Cup: Divya Deshmukh storms into finals
International Master Divya Deshmukh stormed into the final, defeating former world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the second game of the semifinals and winning the mini-match 1.5-0.5 in the FIDE Women's World Chess Cup here on Wednesday (July 23, 2025). In the process, Divya became the first Indian to make it to the Candidates' tournament. The stakes are high here as the final berth also ensured her entry in the women's Candidates' tournament next year that will decide the challenger to Wenjun Ju, the reigning women's world champion. Having already eliminated second seed Zoner Jhu of China and then compatriot Grandmaster D Harika in the quarterfinals, Divya continued to be the giant slayer of the event and her game against Tan was a testament to her growing chess skills. With the Indian boys making a great headway at the top of the chess world, it was already time for the girls to have a say and Divya is the new girl on the block after R Vaishali. It was tricks and strategy at display by Divya as she converted to an Alapin Sicilian as white and her time exchange of Bishops for knights guaranteed a pawn plus endgame. Tan had her chances in the middle game but the former women's world champion did not make use of them and at some point simply missed the thread of the position. As the endgame arrived, Divya had a couple of extra pawns to coast but Tan remained resourceful right till the end of the game. Divya had an outside passed pawn after the dust subsided and it should have been an easy picking, but the fortunes fluctuated a lot. For the record, the game lasted 101 moves. In the second semifinal, Koneru Humpy drew with top seed Tingjie Lei of China. Playing white, Humpy faced the Slav defense and went for the iconic exchange variation that normally yields to either equal or giving white the better prospect. The opening yielded nothing special for Humpy but she got the Bishop pair against two knights to prepare for an advantage. The Queens were traded as early as on 19th move and the payers eventually reached a rook and pawn endgame wherein the Indian enjoyed an extra pawn. However, with the extra pawn not so relevant, Lei stayed in the loop as the position was not changing much. The draw was a just result when Humpy had just one extra pawn remaining in the rook and pawns endgame and the point was split after 75 moves. Humpy will now play the tie-breaker against Lei in shorter format.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
FIDE Women's World Cup 2025: Koneru Humpy vs Lei Tingjie semifinal heads into tiebreak after Game 2 draw
India's Koneru Humpy played out a draw against China's Lei Tingjie in Game 2 of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 semifinal in Batumi, Georgia on Wednesday. The tie will now move onto tiebreaks, which will happen on Thursday. Humpy held a massive advantage early in the endgame, before bungling the position as the two players settled for a draw after the 75th move. Action from Game 2 of the FIDE Women's World Cup semifinal. | Photo Credit: Anna Shtourman/FIDE In the other semifinal, Divya Deshmukh trumped China's Tan Zhongyi to become the first Indian to enter a FIDE Women's World Cup final. The win also guarantees Deshmukh a spot at the Candidates tournament set to happen in early 2026. Tiebreak format Two-game match - 10 minutes for each player with a 10-second increment, starting from the first move. Two-game match - Five minutes for each player with a three-second increment, starting from the first move. Two-game match - Three minutes for each player with a two-second increment, starting from the first move. Players keep contesting 3+2 games until a decisive result determines the match winner
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Chess: Divya Deshmukh makes history, reaches Women's World Cup final
New Delhi: On a day of missed chances and massive blunders, nerves were the decider. India's Divya Deskmukh prevailed in a roller coaster Game 2 to beat China's world No.4 Tan Zhongyi and become the first Indian to reach the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup. Divya beat China's world No.4 Tan Zhongyi and become the first Indian to reach the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup. (FIDE) As a result of the win – her third over a GM in a row, she also earned a place in the Candidates 2026 tournament, which will give her the chance to challenge for the world title, and secured her first GM norm. Her opponent in the final of the tournament being played at Batumi, Georgia will be decided on Thursday after Koneru Humpy and China's Lei Tingjie fought to another draw. They will now play the tiebreaker consisting of four Rapid games. If there is no clear winner after that, the match will move to Blitz games. If Humpy qualifies for the final, she too will be assured of a Candidates spot. If she loses, she will still have a shot at making it by doing well at the Women's Grand Prix Series 2024-25 or the Grand Swiss, which provide two spots each, while the last place goes to the highest-placed player in the FIDE Women's Events 2025-26 series. Humpy had clear winning positions but failed to drive home the advantage despite having the white pieces. However, compared to the Deshmukh-Tan game, this was a cruise. Deshmukh, who is also the world No.1 junior girl (U-20), started off well, manoeuvring her pieces to put Tan under early pressure. She could have had a nearly decisive advantage after trading queens, although after it still gave her the edge. With 17... Nd3, black was clearly struggling and the evaluation bar gave the Indian a +1 advantage. But that was just the start of the ride. Deshmukh's position deteriorated rapidly after that and if Tan hadn't missed 32... Rg4, we might have had a very different result on our hands. But Tan, a former women's world champion, wasn't at her best. Before the players could catch their breath, they had to contend with time trouble. The Women's World Cup has a classical time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves and 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move from the first move. This is when Deshmukh seemed to take complete control of the game. She soon built a two-pawn advantage and the evaluation bar was +4. But on the board, the players were dealing with nerves and the pressure of a semi-final. Tan kept chipping away and Deshmukh made a few blunders as it suddenly became an equal game. But perhaps it was only right that a game like this was decided with another blunder. Tan went with Kh3 on her 90th move and it once again moved the needle Deshmukh's way. Tan finally resigned after move 101. A visibly nervous and excited Deshmukh could finally take a deep breath and relax. 'I think I could have played much better,' Deshmukh said after the win. 'I was winning at a certain point and then things got complicated. I think I messed up in the middle game. I think I should have had a much smoother win. She put up such a good fight that I thought it was a draw. I think I got lucky at the end.' Deshmukh has been relying on her preparation in this tournament and this has seen her beat second seed Zhu Jiner of China and also compatriot Harika Dronavalli in the quarters, but Game 2 of the semi-finals pushed her in a very different way. She'll be glad it ended the way it did. The result shouldn't surprise anyone though. Deshmukh served early notice by winning the world youth titles in U‑10 (Durban, 2014) and U‑12 (Brazil, 2017). And then in 2024, she won the World Junior Girls' U‑20 Championship in 2024 with a dominant score of 10/11. The Nagpur girl also played a crucial role in India's team gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad (2024) in Budapest. As the match didn't go to the tiebreaker, the youngster will have two extra days to prepare for the final. But, for now, she only has one thing on her mind. 'I need some sleep,' said a relieved Deshmukh. 'These days have been so anxious. I just need some sleep and food.'
