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‘Sometimes, he even forgets…': D Gukesh's trainer credits Magnus Carlsen historic win to ‘faster time control’ secret
D Gukesh's recent Rapid performance saw him defeat Magnus Carlsen, in what was a sensational result for the reigning world champion.
After topping the Rapid section at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia, D Gukesh had an underwhelming section in the Blitz category. His performances in the Blitz section saw him slip to third position in the overall standings.
His Rapid performance also saw him defeat Magnus Carlsen, in what was a sensational result for the reigning world champion. It made Carlsen regret his comments on Gukesh’s abilities in shorter time formats. It also came after his recent Norway Chess win against the world No. 1.
Also Read: Magnus Carlsen’s quiet storm: How chess king humbled Gukesh amid doubt, drama, and a blitz rampage
‘Faster time control’
Speaking to the New Indian Express, Gukesh’s chief trainer, Grzegorz Gajewski revealed the main reason behind Gukesh’s sudden rise in shorter time formats.
“We are doing some exercises strictly devoted to the faster time control. Just some training games and exercises,” he said.
He also spoke about the challenges for Gukesh as the reigning world champion. He said, “Chess wise, it’s a tricky period because as world champion, the expectation is that much higher. In the process, many people forget that he’s only 19. Sometimes, he even forgets that he’s only 19. It’s about managing his own ambitions, he’s of course very hungry and just wanting to crush everybody on the board. But the reality is that the competition is very strong and many of his opponents are older, even the very young guys are older than him."
“For me, the most important thing is for Gukesh to develop as a player not in terms of Classical or Rapid or Blitz… there are many areas to improve and once he improves in those areas he will become stronger in all formats. You just focus on the improvements,” he added.
In their Blitz face-off, Carlsen showcased brilliant skills and took advantage of Gukesh’s struggles in the format. In the overall standings, Carlsen finished on top with 22.5 overall points, ahead of second-placed Wesley So (20), Gukesh (19.5) and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (16). For Carlsen, it was also perfect revenge, having lost back-to-back games to Gukesh in the classical and rapid formats.
