Gukesh stuns Carlsen again, leads SuperUnited Chess tournament

Indian chess sensation D. Gukesh made headlines once more by defeating five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen during the sixth round of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia tournament. The 18-year-old outplayed Carlsen with the Black pieces in a gripping rapid game, rising to the top of the leaderboard with an impressive 10 points from six rounds.

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This victory came just days after Carlsen had remarked that Gukesh was likely one of the "weaker" participants in the field—an assessment the young Indian dismantled on the board. Despite opening with the English and gaining a slight edge, Carlsen faltered mid-game when Gukesh launched a strong counterattack. As the pressure mounted and Carlsen's clock dwindled, he was forced to resign after 49 moves.

Gukesh had earlier stumbled against Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda but quickly recovered. He secured back-to-back wins against French-Iranian talent Alireza Firouzja and fellow Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa before facing Carlsen. This three-game winning streak has firmly placed him in control of the rapid section.

Meanwhile, Carlsen’s day was uneven. Though he managed a victory against Wesley So, his other games ended in draws, and the loss to Gukesh further dented his standing in the tournament.