Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh stunned the chess world once again by defeating world number one Magnus Carlsen in the sixth round of the Grand Chess Tour 2025 in Zagreb. With this win, Gukesh claimed the sole lead in the tournament with a total of 10 points.
Carlsen opened the game with the English Opening, aiming to catch Gukesh off guard. He gained an early advantage through precise and aggressive play. However, Gukesh quickly recovered and capitalized on a critical mistake by Carlsen midway through the match. The 34-year-old Norwegian miscalculated a key position, allowing Gukesh to turn the tables and seize full control of the board.
Before his match against Carlsen, Gukesh faced strong opponents in the tournament. In the fourth and fifth rounds, he outplayed Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, respectively. Gukesh displayed resilience and confidence throughout both encounters.
Gukesh Triumph Sparks Debate on Carlsen’s Dominance, Kasparov Weighs In
After his win against Carlsen, He expressed his excitement about defeating one of the greatest chess players in history. He said, “Yes, beating Magnus is always special, for sure. I think this also gives a bit more confidence in a sense that, like, I just had a horrible position from the opening. I just mixed up something really bad. It’s nice that, like, two losing positions in a row, I could win against Magnus.”
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Legendary chess champion Garry Kasparov, who covered the match as a commentator, questioned Carlsen’s current dominance in the sport. He emphasized that Carlsen’s loss to Gukesh was no accident. Kasparov stated, “Now we can question Magnus’ domination. This is not just his second loss to Gukesh, it’s a convincing loss. It’s not a miracle… It was a game that was a big fight. And Magnus lost.”
he is now stands as the tournament leader and continues to impress the global chess community with his fearless and strategic gameplay.