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Norway Chess: Title No.7 for Carlsen, Gukesh third
A draw was enough for Carlsen after Gukesh, half a point behind, lost in the final round in Stavanger
Bengaluru: Magnus Carlsen was down to his dying seconds. The position was still complex, and he hadn’t spotted a clear path to convert his advantage. With the clock ticking down, he had a pertinent decision to make. He had already been undone in time scrambles (read: Round 6 loss to D Gukesh) in the tournament.
The world No.1 craned his neck to glance at the screen overhead – it showed live positions of the other games. The only player who could spoil his title hopes – reigning world champion Gukesh, who trailed him by half a point – was in hot water against four-time US champion Fabiano Caruana. Carlsen knew right away that settling for a draw against India’s Arjun Erigaisi was the pragmatic call. It was enough to assure him the Norway Chess title in Stavanger for the seventh time.
Minutes later, Gukesh sat at the board, gutted, his face turned away from his opponent, spectators and cameras. After being worse through most of the game, the position seemed balanced, though on a knife’s edge — before Gukesh slipped up and Caruana put the finishing touches on a fine win with a brilliant fork: the white knight attacking both the Black’s rook and queen.
Gukesh – realising he was dead lost – covered his mouth with his hands in agony before extending his hand in resignation. He finished third, behind Carlsen and Caruana.
The 19-year-old had arrived in the Norwegian coastal city with questions over his worrying form. He dispelled them with his tenacious, if lucky, win over Carlsen and a fine 4.5/5 performance with White, entering the final round behind the Norwegian world No.1.
Carlsen’s primary emotion on winning was one of relief.
“I’ve got to say I quite enjoyed the day today. I understood that there was a very real chance I was going to lose the game, but I was kind of at peace with that, and I was just trying to fight.”
The manner in which Carlsen turned a position from worse to equal to winning with the Black pieces is a testament to his strength and superior endgame play. But with little time left on his clock to untangle a complicated position, he chose the prudent path of a draw.
He went on to lose the Armageddon against Arjun with White, but by then the result had been rendered inconsequential because of Gukesh’s loss.
“I’m happy that I managed to create a lot of chances and I felt that I generally played the best chess. But stumbling over the finishing line and winning by half a point after a lot of results go my way doesn’t feel like (a statement).”
Carlsen’s self-deprecation stems from the impossibly high standards he’s set for himself over a decade-plus run of absolute dominance. He stepped away from the World Championship after winning it a fifth time and has cut down on his classical chess appearances significantly, citing lack of motivation and finding preparation tedious and uninspiring.
His Norway Chess appearance was Carlsen’s first classical tournament since last year’s edition.
He seemed out of sorts after blundering to a gut-wrenching loss against Gukesh from a winning position and wondered aloud why he was still playing classical chess. He didn’t lose any more classical games but appeared to be going through the motions and spoke about not being particularly driven to win the title.
Having won, Carlsen said he was looking forward to his honeymoon more than the tournaments lined up. The father-to-be wrapped his wife, Ella Victoria Malone, in a hug as autograph-hunting, selfie-seeking fans swarmed him.
It’s not without reason that Carlsen is considered one of the greatest players to have played the game. His ability to own the big moments remains unrivalled. Even when he’s not at his absolute best, he’s a cut above the rest.
Anna Muzychuk wins; Humpy third
Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk arrived for Friday’s final round needing only a draw to guarantee her at least first place. She had to have an eye out on Koneru Humpy’s game against reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun. Humpy needed a win to catch up with Anna in the lead but in an opposite colour bishop endgame, a draw was all that was on offer. Anna, much like Carlsen, won the title but lost her Armageddon game to Vaishali. China’s Lei Tingjie finished second with Humpy third.
