FIDE World Cup: Gukesh loses with white to Carlsen

India’s D Gukesh fell to a defeat against Norway’s Magnus Carlsen in their opening game of the FIDE World Cup quarterfinal at Baku on Tuesday.

D Gukesh in action. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

India’s D Gukesh fell to a defeat against Norway’s Magnus Carlsen in their opening game of the FIDE World Cup quarterfinal at Baku on Tuesday.

Gukesh failed to capitalise on the advantage of starting the knockout game with the white pieces as his Norwegian opponent ground out a win.

Magnus Carlsen takes down Gukesh with Black in the #FIDEWorldCup quarterfinals!

The world #1 showed his endgame mastery and gained the upper hand over the Indian prodigy; Magnus is one draw away from the semifinals.

📷 Stev Bonhage pic.twitter.com/vS0C0Xyur5

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 15, 2023

The 17-year-old Gukesh, who recently overtook Viswanathan Anand as the highest-ranked Indian chess player, now has to win tomorrow’s game to push the knockout game into the tiebreaker.

Carlsen, known for his extraordinary ability to grind his way through difficult endgames, remained in complete command throughout the game.

Despite playing with black pieces, the Norwegian managed his clock well and kept his young opponent in check with precise play.

Gukesh’s rook to a7 in the 35th move was pivotal as he missed a5, which shifted the momentum to Carlsen’s side in a game that had previously appeared objectively equal.

Gukesh made it easy for Carlsen to win in 49 moves with some erroneous moves in the endgame.