D Gukesh could not have asked for a better birthday gift.
Just a day after celebrating his 20th birthday, the reigning world champion produced one of his best performances of the tournament, defeating fellow Indian R Praggnanandhaa in a tense classical encounter to breathe new life into his Norway Chess campaign.
The victory earned Gukesh the full three points and lifted him to third place in the standings with 6.5 points. More importantly, it halted a frustrating run and put him back within touching distance of the leaders with several rounds still to play.
Gukesh Wins All-Indian Battle
The clash between India’s two brightest young stars lived up to expectations.
Momentum swung wildly throughout the contest, with both players enjoying promising
positions at different stages. Praggnanandhaa looked capable of seizing the initiative on multiple occasions, but Gukesh kept finding resources to stay in the fight before eventually turning the tables.
Reflecting on the roller-coaster battle, Gukesh admitted the game was far from straightforward.
“Just a very complex game. Luckily, the tricks kind of worked out for me.”
The world champion also revealed how much pressure he felt during the encounter.
“I felt a lot of pressure and was very tense from the start, but I’m lucky to have come through.”
Gukesh believes his game is steadily moving in the right direction despite inconsistent results since becoming world champion.
“I’m surely doing much, much better than I was a couple of months back. I feel much sharper. The results are improving, though they are still not where I want them to be. But I believe that if I continue playing good chess, success will come.”
Praggnanandhaa now sits fourth on six points.
Carlsen’s Struggles Deepen
While Gukesh celebrated a timely resurgence, Magnus Carlsen’s difficult tournament took another turn for the worse.
The seven-time Norway Chess champion suffered a shock defeat to American Grandmaster Wesley So, leaving the world No. 1 rooted to the bottom of the six-player standings on 4.5 points.
So’s victory propelled him to second place on 8.5 points, just behind tournament leader Alireza Firouzja, who continues to set the pace with 10 points.
Divya Takes Control In Women’s Event
There was more good news for India as Divya Deshmukh climbed to the top of the women’s standings.
Fresh from a speedboat outing on the rest day, the Women’s World Cup champion produced an inspired display to defeat China’s Zhu Jiner in an 84-move marathon.
Despite being put under pressure early by a new opening idea, Divya trusted her instincts, gradually wrestled control of the game, and capitalised when Zhu missed a chance to force a draw.
The victory moved Divya to 8.5 points and into sole possession of first place, capping another memorable day for Indian chess in Oslo.
(with PTI inputs)
