Oslo:Reigning world champion Gukesh spent his last day as a teenager, sitting across from Magnus Carlsen and being reminded that over-ambition in chess can come at a cost. There was no reprise of last year’s infamous table slam. Instead, Gukesh ended up putting too much on the line and the world No. 1 got his first classical win in Round 4 of Norway Chess on Thursday, after two losses in three games.
Carlsen’s first trip to the confessional was about being surprised by his own move – 6…Qd6! – activating the Queen and perhaps trying to take the young Indian out of book. A few moves down the line Gukesh had a surprise waiting for Carlsen with 9. Nb5. Carlsen, playing with the Black pieces, took a slightly perilous path and went on to double his pawns on the f-file.
Gukesh captured Black’s dark-squared bishop with his b-pawn, weakening the security cordon around his King. Black, helped by White’s eagerness to take risks, went on to find inroads with its Queen and light-squared bishop putting the enemy King under duress. Gukesh resigned after 42 moves.
“Gukesh sometimes plays a bit too ambitiously. He wanted to prove a serious advantage today, which I’m not sure there was. Eventually, he played himself into some trouble. And I took over, more and more,” Carlsen said.
In the other games, Wesley So managed to stop Alireza Firouzja’s run in the Armageddon while R Praggnanandhaa moved to sole second with a win over Vincent Keymer in the Armageddon.
{{/usCountry}}In the other games, Wesley So managed to stop Alireza Firouzja’s run in the Armageddon while R Praggnanandhaa moved to sole second with a win over Vincent Keymer in the Armageddon.
{{/usCountry}}In the women’s section, reigning world champion Ju Wenjun’s troubles continued as she lost in the Armageddon to Bibisara Assaubayeva. Divya Deshmukh wound up with a defeat in the Armageddon against Anna Muzychuk after blundering a pawn and hanging her Queen.
On the Norway Chess rest day on Friday, the players were split into two teams and pitted against each other in a sailboat race. Carlsen, accompanied by his coach Peter Heine Nielsen, was the last to arrive. World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov, who’s here to support Bibisara, hopped on a speedboat, following the sailboats. As the boats made their way back to the pier, Gukesh too decided to try the speedboat, taking over the controls.
“I liked the speedboat, would love to do it again,” he was seen gushing, after. Understandably so. He’s done things at breakneck speed so far. He won the Candidates at 17, became world champion at 18 and will be defending his title as a 20-year-old. Now, for some adulting.