New Delhi: Magnus Carlsen showcased his enduring mastery by defeating India’s world champion D Gukesh in a gripping opening round of the Norway Chess tournament, securing a full three points on Monday. Carlsen surprised Gukesh with the rarely used Jobava London opening, aiming to unsettle the young Indian in their first Classical-format encounter since Gukesh claimed the world title last year in Singapore.
Despite playing with the black pieces, Gukesh managed to neutralize Carlsen’s early advantage by the 11th move and even put the Norwegian champion under pressure. However, Carlsen’s experience as a five-time world champion—who has increasingly focused on Rapid, Blitz, and Freestyle chess—shone through in a marathon game lasting nearly five hours and 56 moves. Reflecting on the tough battle, Carlsen admitted to TV2 in Norwegian, “I don’t know how I won this game. At some point, I thought it was going to be a draw.”
Earlier in the day, fellow Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi also impressed by defeating China’s Wei Yi in an intense Armageddon tiebreak after the two had agreed to a draw in their classical game. Playing black, Erigaisi took an aggressive stance to force the draw and then clinched victory on time in the Armageddon round, despite having less time on the clock—seven minutes compared to Wei’s ten.
Following these results, Erigaisi leads with 1.5 points after the opening round, while Wei has one point. In Norway Chess, a classical win grants three points, a draw earns one point each, and an Armageddon win adds 0.5 points to the victor’s tally.
The spotlight remains firmly on the clash between India’s teenage world champion and the world’s top-ranked Carlsen, setting the stage for an exciting tournament ahead.
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