Magnus Carlsen defeated reigning world champion D Gukesh in Round 4 of Norway Chess, on Thursday. It was Carlsen’s first classical win in the tournament this year. Carlsen also avenged his defeat to Gukesh at the same tournament last year, which led to a viral, controversial moment.
After Carlsen lost to Gukesh last year, the World No. 1 slammed the table in anger, and it became a viral meme. Gukesh had beaten Carlsen for the first time in his career in Round 6 last year, coming out on top in 62 moves with white pieces.
During the pre-tournament media interaction this year, Gukesh opened up on the table slam moment. “In most sports, it’s the bare minimum the players would do. I mean, players in other sports get into physical fights. But in chess, people are generally composed, even though there’s obviously a lot going on inside. We are generally taught not to react. We play in these suits and it’s a gentleman’s game. So I guess I understand why the reaction was so viral. But I feel like everybody has this emotion inside when they are playing a game. And it’s nice to see them finally expressing it,” he said.
“Like, many people get attracted to different sports or different sports personalities not just because of their skills but also the stories revolving around it. So it’s a nice thing that it got a lot of attention. A lot of people got their eyes on chess, but I wouldn’t make it a big deal,” he added.
But on Thursday, Carlsen came out on top, overcoming the poor start to his title defence.
The showdown saw a Queen’s Gambit opening, and the evaluation bar soon shifted in favour of Carlsen in the middle game. But it wasn’t until Gukesh started running out of time that Carlsen gained an advantage. Gukesh had less than a minute on the clock, compared to Carlsen’s eight.
The Indian GM finally crumbled due to time pressure and resigned after 42 moves. It was also his first Classical defeat in the ongoing competition.
‘It was a huge relief’: Magnus Carlsen
Speaking to Take Take Take after his win, Carlsen said, “It was a huge relief (to win today). After missing a few chances (in previous games) you kind of get little doubts in your mind. What’s it going to take for me to get it done. Feels good to get that monkey off my back.”
