Chess: Carlsen Offers Measured Assessment of World Champion Gukesh's Performance

Magnus Carlsen, the world's top-ranked chess player, has made a subtle remark about the reigning world champion, D. Gukesh, following the first day of the SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz 2025 tournament.

Magnus Carlsen and D. Gukesh face off at Norway Chess 2025.

The 19-year-old Gukesh is currently tied for the lead with Carlsen himself, as well as Wesley So, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda.

In an interview, Carlsen lauded R. Praggnanandhaa, another young Indian chess prodigy. While acknowledging Gukesh's progress, Carlsen indicated that he remains unconvinced by the current crop of young Indian talents.

"Pragg has been performing exceptionally well for quite some time," Carlsen stated. "He has secured victory in three classical super tournaments this year, which is truly remarkable. The other young players experience fluctuations in their performance."

Carlsen also commented on Alireza Firouzja: "Normally, in a format like this, Alireza would be a formidable contender. He may not have had the best start, but I am confident that he will be a strong presence."

Regarding Gukesh, Carlsen said: "Gukesh is demonstrating signs of improvement. It is difficult to predict who will ultimately succeed. But in terms of impressing me, well, that remains to be seen."

Carlsen confessed to feeling somewhat out of practice after Round 1. "I felt a bit shaky today, particularly when facing time pressure. In the first game, nothing significant occurred. In the second, I managed to narrowly secure a win against Wesley," Carlsen admitted.

He added, "I didn't feel like I had much of an advantage at all. But then, all of a sudden, I believe he overlooked a small tactic, allowing me to maintain the bishops on the board. I think that rattled him quite a bit."

Reflecting on his final game, Carlsen remarked: "In the last game, I didn't particularly mind the draw, but I still wanted to try for a win. I felt like I managed to create some opportunities out of nothing. I'm not sure if I had serious winning chances. Towards the end, I was flirting with a loss as well. But overall, the score is acceptable. I'll take it, but it feels a bit rusty."