'He Really Fights Well', Acknowledges Magnus Carlsen After Defeat To Gukesh

Last Updated:June 03, 2025, 00:15 IST

Gukesh picked up his first win in the classical format over Carlsen due to a late-game blunder from the 34-year-old.

Magnus Carlsen, D Gukesh.

Norwegian Chess GM Magnus Carlsen opined that World Champion D Gukesh’s fighting spirit and energy aided the Indian teenager in his victory over the five-time World Champion at Norway Chess 2025 on Monday.

Gukesh picked up his first win in the classical format over Carlsen due to a late-game blunder from the 34-year-old, following which the Norwegian had an outburst as he smacked the table in frustration.

“I think, like, I remember being that age myself, and sometimes kind of your energy, like fighting qualities, and just the optimism is sometimes, you know, bigger than the quality of your moves," Carlsen said.

“So, I think, for a long time Gukesh was just more or less blindly pushing. And then, yeah, on a normal day, of course, I win that game, and things look quite differently," the 34-year-old added.

“What he Gukesh does well, as I alluded to, is he really fights very, very well, and he was there to take his chance, so he deserves credit for that," Carlsen acknowledged.

Carlsen also revealed that he doesn’t enjoy the classical format of the game as much as he does Blitz, Rapid or Freestyle, and stated that he would have a think about his future in the classical game at the conclusion of the ongoing event in Norway.

“I think I’ll play the last three games in Norway Chess, and then I will have to make some decisions about next year here or potential other tournaments later, because, yeah… I just don’t enjoy Classical chess that much," the five-time World champion said.

“It’s possible, yeah. I’m not going to sit here and say that I’m not going to play Classical events ever again, but right now it doesn’t."

“The thing is that, you know, losses are painful no matter what, but at least if I can lose doing something that I really enjoy, then that’s much easier," he opened up.

“It’s not that I cannot play Classical chess, it’s just situations like yesterday, I’m just wondering, like, why am I doing this? What’s the point?"

“But I will do my best in the last three games here, then we’ll see, I suppose. I guess there’s a lot of pain being a top sportsman. I would have loved for the situation in the tournament to be different, but I had no desire whatsoever to play classical today," he continued.

Carlsen and American Hikaru Nakamura gave the nod for a 21-move draw in Round 7 to play Armageddon tie-break, which Carlsen won.

“So, winning the Armageddon was kind of the best scenario for me, and I managed to do that, so I’m happy," he added.

“There were many tempting options in Armageddon, but then all of a sudden I discovered that move. It may have been played before, but I didn’t know for sure," the home-favourite said.

Carlsen alluded to his love for golf stating, “Yeah, I mean, honestly, it’s good to do something to get my mind off of the games, and when the games start at 5pm in Norway Chess, then I have some time to both do that and get some lunch with my wife and everything. So, that’s nice," he concluded.

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Location :

Norway

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News sports 'He Really Fights Well', Acknowledges Magnus Carlsen After Defeat To Gukesh