As we know it, Magnus Carlsen hasn’t been much of a fan of Gukesh. Ever since he became the world champion, Magnus hasn’t shied away from criticising his final game and calling him not a deserving world champion.
This criticism fueled the rivalry between them, and since then, we’ve seen many encounters where world number 1 and the world champion went head-to-head, however, the results always seemed to be in favour of Carlsen.
Magnus beat Gukesh D. in every encounter of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, however, it’s a well-known fact that Gukesh isn’t a master of the Freestyle format yet. Now, both chess icons are all set to face each other again, in a format where Gukesh excels, the classical format, in the upcoming Norway Chess 2025.
Is Magnus Carlsen Afraid Of Gukesh In Classical?
The online community has been speculating whether Magnus is afraid of facing Gukesh in the classic format, and Carlsen has finally clapped back. In an interview with Take Take Take, he said, “Everybody has a lot of respect for Gukesh in classical chess. But I can tell you for sure that the reason why I am not playing a lot of classical chess is that I am not really motivated to play it. But for him, it’s different. It’s really his main thing.”
In another interview, he recently said, “If people think I was criticising Gukesh too much, it’s because I expect so much from him in classical chess. Similarly, in other formats, I might not be as critical because I don’t expect that much!”
Magnus Carlsen has always been critical of the final game of the World Championship that announced Gukesh D. as the World Champion. When asked about whether he thinks he’s a deserving champion or not, he said, “He won the Candidates ahead of a field of world-beaters, and he’s done incredibly well in classical chess over the last couple of years, including giving one of the all-time best performances at the Olympiad. Is he the best player in the world? Remains to be seen! But is he a worthy world champion? By what they measure that by, I think he certainly is!”
Gukesh Is A Mystery, Says Carlsen
In another interview in 2024, Magnus Carlsen called Gukesh a mystery. He said, “Gukesh is still a bit of a mystery to me. To have somebody who is so unbelievably much better at classical chess… but when he plays rapid and blitz, you can tell that at times this guy does not have that intuition to play good moves quickly. But he calculates unbelievably well.”
The Norway Chess 2025 is going to be a highlight of the year in chess. Magnus Carlsen vs Gukesh D is one of the most anticipated games of the year since it marks their first encounter in classic format. The tournament starts on 26 May, so stay tuned for more updates!
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