Daijiworld Media Network – Stavanger (DD)

Stavanger , May 30: It was a bittersweet outing for India at the prestigious Norway Chess tournament on Thursday, as reigning world champion Grandmaster D Gukesh celebrated his 19th birthday with a hard-fought Armageddon victory over World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana, while fellow Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi succumbed to Norwegian legend Magnus Carlsen in their Classical round encounter.

In a nail-biting contest, Gukesh showcased nerves of steel and exceptional endgame tenacity. Despite being a pawn down for most of the Classical game, the young Indian held Caruana to a draw, pushing the match into an Armageddon tie-break. Armed with the White pieces and a time advantage, Gukesh launched a fierce attack and eventually outplayed Caruana on the clock to grab 1.5 valuable points.

Speaking to the media after the match, Gukesh quipped, “Most of my birthdays I end up losing the game, so glad it did not repeat in the classical. When I was playing, I felt fine, but when I was losing, I was like, ‘ok, not again’.” The victory marks a strong rebound for the Chennai prodigy, who had earlier stunned World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura in round three.

The win puts Gukesh at 4.5 points in the overall standings, tying him for fourth place, while Carlsen leads the pack with 8 points, followed by Caruana (7 pts) and Nakamura (5.5 pts).
Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi found the going tough against top-seeded Magnus Carlsen. Playing with Black, the Indian No. 2 was slowly squeezed into a passive position as Carlsen, employing the English Opening, pressed with clinical precision. The Norwegian maestro eventually broke through in the endgame, securing a full 3-point win in the Classical format.

Reflecting on the match, Carlsen admitted the complexities of the game made him proceed cautiously. “You get presented with more and more difficult choices and eventually you go wrong,” he noted.

Women’s Section: Mixed Results for India

In the women's category, the Indian contingent also experienced contrasting fortunes. R Vaishali registered a spirited Armageddon victory over Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk, holding her composure under pressure to pocket 1.5 points. However, Indian ace Koneru Humpy fell short against China’s reigning world champion Ju Wenjun, who emerged victorious in the tie-break after their Classical game ended in a deadlock.

Despite the loss, Humpy continues to share the lead with Muzychuk at 7 points each, while Vaishali currently occupies sixth position with 3.5 points.
Round 4 Results:

Open Section:

• Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 8 pts bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind) 4.5 pts

• D Gukesh (Ind) 4.5 pts bt Fabiano Caruana (USA) 7 pts [Armageddon]

• Wei Yi (Chn) 4 pts bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 5.5 pts

Women’s Section:

• Sara Khadem (Esp) 5 pts bt Li Tingjie (Chn) 4 pts

• Ju Wenjun (Chn) 5.5 pts bt Koneru Humpy (Ind) 7 pts [Armageddon]

• R Vaishali (Ind) 3.5 pts bt Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 7 pts [Armageddon]

As the Norway Chess tournament heats up, all eyes are on the young Gukesh, whose fearless play and consistency under pressure are cementing his reputation as one of the brightest stars in world chess.