It’s been a few months since D Gukesh shocked the chess world by defeating Magnus Carlsen at the Norway Chess tournament, but it seems that loss still lingers in the world No. 1’s mind. Despite winning several major events since then, including the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown on Thursday, Carlsen confessed that Gukesh’s victory continues to bother him even after nearly five months.
The Norwegian star even admitted he might have been in an “existential crisis” if he had lost another similar game earlier this week.
D Gukesh’s Breakthrough Wins Over Carlsen
Reigning world champion D Gukesh made headlines earlier this year when he defeated Carlsen for the first time in his career during the sixth round of the prestigious Norway Chess. It was a gritty win – Gukesh fought back from a tough position and took advantage of a rare mistake from the five-time world champion, sealing victory in 62 moves.
That win seemed to open the floodgates. Gukesh followed it up with another triumph over Carlsen, this time in a different format, during the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia event. Back-to-back victories over Carlsen established Gukesh as a serious challenger to the world’s best.
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Magnus Carlsen seals victory in the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown with two rounds to spare! A flawless final day performance, taking down Gukesh and Fabiano twice. Congratulations to the World No. 1 on another remarkable achievement!#ClutchChess #ChampionsShowdown pic.twitter.com/MSLvztOJdF
— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) October 29, 2025
Clash at the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown
Their next meeting came at the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown, held in St. Louis, USA. The three-day event featured some of the best players in the world, competing in a double round-robin format with a 10+5 time control.
In the opening round, Magnus Carlsen struck first, winning the game as White and then settling for a draw as Black. The 34-year-old Norwegian looked sharper in their second encounter, defeating the 19-year-old Gukesh in 39 and 33 moves respectively. His consistent performance throughout the event saw him finish at the top of the standings with 25.5 points, a massive 9-point lead over runner-up Fabiano Caruana. Carlsen’s dominance was such that he clinched the title with two games still to play.
Carlsen Reflects on His Performance
Even after such a commanding victory, Magnus Carlsen admitted he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his play in St. Louis and that his earlier loss to D Gukesh was still on his mind.
“It was very similar to my game against Gukesh in Norway chess and I was thinking if I blow this one, I don’t know what to do. Of course, it feels really good to win those kinds of clean strategic games, especially with those black pieces. It’s much more common that there’s some back and forth and so on, but this one was very very clean and he didn’t really get any real chances,” Carlsen said after his win, which also earned him $170,000 in prize money, including $50,000 in bonuses.
“Yeah, I was a lot happier. There are still things here that I am not super happy about, but I felt I was kind of more on top of things, not missing many tricks. Today was a lot better and that feels really good to end on a high note and to actually be able to win,” he added.
Final Standings and What’s Next for D Gukesh
Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana finished first and second, respectively, while Hikaru Nakamura took third place with 14 points. D Gukesh, meanwhile, ended fourth with 10 points across the three days.
The young Indian star won’t have much time to rest, though. Gukesh’s next challenge is the FIDE World Cup, which kicks off in Goa on Friday. Interestingly, many of his recent Clutch Chess opponents have decided to skip the tournament for various reasons, giving Gukesh another chance to shine on home soil.
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