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D Gukesh's former coach drops verdict on Magnus Carlsen's controversial table slam reaction: ‘That has happened before…’
Magnus Carlsen slammed the table in frustration as he lost to D Gukesh on Sunday.
D Gukesh scripted a stunning revenge win against Magnus Carlsen, staging a comeback from a losing position in the end game in their Round 6 pairing at Norway Chess 2025. A huge blunder from Carlsen in the end game saw Gukesh take advantage and the pair were also caught in a time scramble. The defeat also saw Carlsen slam the table in anger, and then he shook Gukesh’s hands. The Norwegian also patted the Indian GM’s back, while leaving the venue. The match lasted 62 moves and over fours.
The World No. 1 also bagged his maiden classical win. Speaking after Gukesh’s win, his former coach and India’s 33rd GM Vishnu Prasanna hailed the reigning World Champion.
Also Read: ‘Chess is perfect in jail’: Magnus Carlsen's childhood coach turned prison chaplain and played with inmates
Speaking to ANI, he said, “Carlsen is no longer a part of this cycle but he is considered the number one player widely. So I think it is probably important for Gukesh also to win some matches against Carlsen. So that apart from the World Champion, he is also aiming to be the best player.”
When asked about Carlsen’s table-slamming reaction, he said, “That has happened a few times before, the game was very tense and had ups and downs. Probably Carlsen was lamenting his mischances. It was just a lot of passion there.”
Gukesh is now third in the standings, with 8.5 points, behind Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana by just a point. It was also a comeback win as Gukesh lost to Carlsen in the opening Norway Chess round.
Sunday also saw Caruana beat fellow American GM Hikaru Nakamura with a black draw in armageddon. Meanwhile, Arjun erigaisi took advantage of a blunder by Wei Yi to win with White in their armageddon game.
