Just days after being dismissed by Magnus Carlsen as "one of the presumably weaker players," India’s D Gukesh delivered a powerful response, right on the chessboard. The 18-year-old stunned the World No 1 with the Black pieces in Round 6 of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia, part of the Grand Chess Tour, on Thursday.
According to a report by India Today, the victory, his second consecutive win over Carlsen, propelled Gukesh to the top of the leaderboard as the sole leader with 10 points from six games.
There was no table-smashing from Carlsen this time, but the outcome was no less dramatic. The Norwegian was once again forced to resign against the reigning world champion. Their previous encounter at Norway Chess last month had ended in a rare classical defeat for Carlsen, who appeared visibly shaken.
This time in Zagreb, the format may have been rapid, but the result was identical: Gukesh, composed and poised, outplayed the five-time world champion once more.
Carlsen’s earlier comments in the week had drawn attention after he referred to Gukesh as one of the "presumably weaker players" in the Croatian field; a remark that now seems to have backfired.
When they finally sat across the board for their much-anticipated rematch, it was Gukesh who arrived first. He sat quietly, taking a few moments to compose himself as he waited.
Carlsen opened with the English and appeared to have the advantage after 18...Nh5 19.Bf2!. But Gukesh, calm and unshaken, turned the tables with a sharp 26...d5. From there, Carlsen’s grip began to loosen. As his position dropped and his clock dipped below a minute, the pressure mounted. He resigned after 49 moves.
It was a composed and commanding performance from Gukesh; a statement that he’s no longer just a rising star, but an equal among the elite.
“Now we can question Magnus’ domination,” said Garry Kasparov in commentary. “This isn’t just another loss. It’s a convincing one. Gukesh didn’t just capitalise on mistakes, he played better.”
The win gave an exceptional day for the 18-year-old. He had begun with a defeat to Jan-Krzysztof Duda but rebounded strongly, posting back-to-back wins over Alireza Firouzja, fellow Indian R Praggnanandhaa, and finally Carlsen – three straight victories to close out the day.
“I wasn’t too disheartened after the first-round loss,” Gukesh said. “Duda got a good position and played well.”
Carlsen, on the other hand, had a mixed day. He managed a hard-fought win against Wesley So but was held to draws by Ivan Šarić and Duda. He now trails Gukesh by four points going into the final day of the rapid section. In the Grand Chess Tour format, rapid wins are worth two points each, while blitz games, which follow next, offer one point per win.
Wesley So was the only other player, apart from Gukesh, to feature in all the decisive games of the day. He scored wins over compatriot Fabiano Caruana and Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri.
With 10 points out of a possible 12, Gukesh ends day two of the rapid section in dominant form. With momentum clearly on his side, the teenager remains firmly in command and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.