05-07-2025
Carlsen beats Gukesh in blitz, moves into lead
Bengaluru: From the highs of rapid, reigning world champion D Gukesh had to contend with the brutal nature of blitz, spiralling to five losses in a row and giving up his lead at the SuperUnited Croatia Rapid and Blitz on Saturday. In Round 4 of blitz, he ran into Magnus Carlsen, who he defeated in rapid, but this time the Norwegian crushed Gukesh with his endgame skills. File image of Magnus Carlsen. (REUTERS)
'I think the game itself was kind of rubbish. I was really just playing old man's chess, trying to play without tactics whatsoever. But it worked out, so I can't complain,' Carlsen said after beating Gukesh. The world No.1 who ended the rapid segment four points behind leader Gukesh, overtook him after six rounds of blitz.
In Round 8, Praggnanandhaa R, who had a much better day than his fellow Indian overall, went from a pawn up and a seemingly winning position against Carlsen to losing a piece and the game against the Norwegian in a time scramble.
In the final round of the day, Praggnanandhaa defeated Gukesh which meant the world champion ended the day with seven losses in nine rounds. Carlsen had an unbeaten 7.5/9 run on day 1 of the blitz to move into sole lead with 17.5 points.
Nine more rounds of blitz will be played on Sunday and Gukesh will have to pick up the pieces after a torrid day.
Asked about former world champion Garry Kasparov's words of high praise for him after he defeated Carlsen in the rapid segment, he said: 'I still see myself as a player who is working hard to improve everyday…I'm really glad that Garry said that but there's still a long way to go.'
