Gukesh overcomes Erigaisi challenge to jump to second spot in Norway Chess

Reigning world champion D Gukesh continued to turn adversity into opportunity as he wriggled out of a virtually intractable position to beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi for the first time ever in a classical game and jump to sole second position after round 7 of the Norway Chess.
As has been the trend in Gukesh's campaign in this elite six-payer double round-robin tournament, the teenager, playing with white, showed nerves of steel to secure his second consecutive win, without going through the rigmarole of an Armageddon tie-break, to take sweet revenge for his loss to Erigaisi earlier in Round 2.
The win, which came after a nerve-wracking victory against defending champion and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, saw Gukesh, 19, overtake the 34-year-old Norwegian on the points table with 11.5 points.
This was also Gukesh's first win in three attempts against Erigaisi, who had beaten the world champion at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee to spoil his title-winning chances, and then again in Round 2 here.
With three more rounds to go, pole sitter American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Wei Yi of China, is on 12.5 points.
Carlsen is third with 11 points following his Armageddon win against another American Grandmaster and world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, who is fourth with 8.5 points.
Erigaisi dropped to fifth position with 7.5 points following the loss, while Wei Yi is placed sixth with 6.5 points.
For the first three-and-a-half hours of the game, Gukesh was on the defensive but finally managed to up his game to earn a win, tying down his opponent in time trouble. Erigaisi faltered that wee bit, which gave Gukesh an opening that he exploited and forced his opponent to resign after some intense play.
"Probably I was just losing it at some point. I was just slowly getting outplayed. From the opening nothing went my way but once I got to this position I just had to keep making moves which doesn't lose on the spot and in the time scrambles things happen," Gukesh told the broadcaster after the match.
Analysing the game, Gukesh's Polish coach Grzegorz Gajewski said, though it was not the best game played by the reigning world champion but he was happy that he had pulled it off.
"Probably not his best game ever, at least not the first half of the game, but definitely a very good second half of the game, so happy with that." On whether the win on Monday was because of a change of mindset following Gukesh's come-from-behind victory against Carlsen on Sunday, Gajewski said, "When you're in such trouble (as in Sunday's game) and you keep fighting and you get rewarded for it, you have even more faith that it makes sense to keep fighting.
"So, on the very next day (against Erigaisi), when you're again in trouble, you definitely know what to do, you just keep fighting," opined Gukesh's coach.
He added that Gukesh was aiming for playing the perfect games, where the margin of error was bare minimum, which was finally contributing to his success here.
"He's demanding the very highest level of accuracy and precision from you (opponent), and if you're not up to it, you might mess up the position even if you're number one in the world, said the Pole.
On whether the win against Erigaisi was bigger than the victory over Carlsen, given that Gukesh had never beaten his Indian counterpart ever in Classical chess before the win on Monday, the coach said, "Yes, definitely, Erigaisi is a very difficult opponent to beat, but I would not compare the two games.
You really have to achieve a lot to be compared with Magnus in any regard. (For Monday's game) Gukesh was just focused. It was nice, definitely very nice yesterday (to beat Carlsen), but today is a new challenge and after that there is another challenge.
"Gukesh was just making moves; he was completely in the zone from the first move to the last move He has extraordinary calculation abilities, which combined with his fighting spirit help him defend so many positions, added the Pole.
The Carlsen vs Nakamura game was interesting as the two players agreed to a draw after just 21 moves, with both having about an hour-and-a-half each left on the clock. In the Armageddon, Carlsen defeated the world No.2 to log in 1.5 points.
In the women's section, Ukrainian GM Anna Muzychuk got the better of two-time world rapid champion Koneru Humpy in Armageddon tie-break, while GM R. Vaishali fell apart in time trouble against China's Lei Tingjie.
Ju Wenjun is leading the table with 11.5 points, followed by Muzychuk (11 points) in second and Humpy in third with 10.5 points.
Results (Round 7) =========== Open: D Gukesh (Ind 11.5 points) bt Arjun Erigaisi (Ind 7.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA 12.5) bt Wei Yi (Chn 6.5); Magnus Carlsen (Nor 11) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA 8.5) in Armageddon tie-break.
Women: Lei Tingjie (Chn 9) bt R Vaishali (Ind 8); Ju Wenjun (Chn 11.5 points) bt Sara Khadem (Esp - 6); Koneru Humpy (Ind - 10.5) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr 11) in Armageddon tie-break.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

News18

2 hours ago

• News18

Waiting For The Peaky Blinders Movie? Watch These 5 Shows For Now

Last Updated: While you wait for the Peaky Blinders film, it's a great time to explore other top crime dramas that offer similar thrilling moments. Set in 1920s Birmingham, Peaky Blinders tells the story of a powerful gang's control over the city, as well as the complex relationships within their group. Led by the mysterious and smart Thomas 'Tommy" Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, the series kept audiences hooked with tension and dark atmosphere. Now that the Peaky Blinders movie is on the way, fans are eager to see what happens next. While waiting for the film, it's a great time to explore other top crime dramas that offer similar thrilling moments. Breaking Bad – Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul's series isn't a gangster show, but many of its villains fit that description, including the main character, Walter White. When it first aired in 2008, the series changed TV forever by telling a crime story that was bold, detailed and creative. It follows a regular American family whose life takes a dark turn when they get involved with the drug mafia. Even though it moves slowly and focuses a lot on family problems, it has a number of dark moments, which makes it the most popular TV series ever. Sons of Anarchy – The show follows the life of a motorcycle club members in a town called Charming, California. While it ran for seven seasons, it got a bit repetitive. But the earlier seasons were full of action and strong drama. The story focuses on Jax Teller, played by Charlie Hunnam, a biker trying to clean up his father's club and remove its connection with crime. The show has violence and family drama, which makes it exciting watch. The Sopranos – If The Godfather is known as the best gangster movie, then David Chase's hit holds the top spot for gangster TV shows. Many call it one of the greatest TV dramas ever made. The story follows Tony Soprano, an Italian American crime boss from New Jersey, who struggles with panic attacks and starts seeing a psychiatrist for help. Like Francis Ford Coppola's film, the show mixes family moments with complicated crime stories. James Gandolfini's powerful performance instantly grabs your attention and leaves your jaws dropped. Narcos – The Netflix series focuses on the life of Pablo Escobar, showing how he built one of the world's biggest drug empires. It shows him as a complex person, sometimes seen caring for others, but never hides the reality of his violent actions. Wagner Moura gained worldwide praise for playing Escobar, and the series also gave rise to actors like Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal. After Escobar's story ended, the drama followed other drug cartels in the business. Gangs of London – It's a gripping action drama that tells the story of a global gang war taking place in the UK's capital city. Created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery, the show has powerful acting and intense fight scenes. The story follows Sean, played by Joe Cole, who takes over his family's legacy after his father is killed. His mission is to find the person responsible for his father's death while dealing with rival gangs from different parts of the world. This is fresh, fast-paced and filled with tension. First Published:

Mint

3 hours ago

• Mint

Veteran actor Jack Betts, known for his role in ‘Spider-Man', dies at 96

Jack Betts, the seasoned American actor best known for his role in 'Spider-Man' (2002) and numerous 'Spaghetti Westerns', has died at the age of 96. As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Betts passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday at his home in Los Osos, California, according to his nephew, Dean Sullivan. Born Jack Fillmore Betts on April 11, 1929 in Jersey City, New Jersey, he often joked that he was distantly related to the 13th U.S. President, Millard Fillmore. Raised in Miami, Betts studied theatre at the University of Miami before moving to New York City. He made his Broadway debut in 1953 with 'Richard III'. His journey took a pivotal turn when he assisted a friend at an audition for the prestigious Actors Studio. The director was so impressed that Betts was awarded a three-year scholarship. It was here that legendary director Elia Kazan cast him in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', followed by 'Sweet Bird of Youth' and a late-1970s revival of 'Dracula', where he served as standby for Raúl Juliá in the title role. Betts' first film credit came in 1959 with 'The Bloody Brood'. In 1966, he took on the lead in Franco Giraldi's 'Sugar Colt', adopting the stage name Hunt Powers. This launched a prolific run in 'Spaghetti Westerns', earning him a cult following through the 1970s. On television, Betts was a familiar face in soap operas such as 'General Hospital', 'All My Children', 'Guiding Light', and 'The Young and the Restless'. He also had guest roles in 'Perry Mason', 'Gunsmoke', 'Friends', 'Seinfeld', 'Frasier', 'The Mentalist', and 'Monk'. A close friend of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' star Doris Roberts, the two shared a home for nearly three decades until her passing in 2016. Modern audiences will remember Betts for his appearance in 'Spider-Man' (2002) as Oscorp's board chairman Henry Balkan, delivering the line to Norman Osborn: 'You're out, Norman.' Jack Betts in 'Spider-Man', alongside Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborne. Jack Betts' legacy endures through a body of work that reflects the dedication and versatility of a true character actor.

The Hindu

3 hours ago

• The Hindu

Nottingham Open 2025: Dayana Yastremska to face McCartney Kessler in final

Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska sealed a surprise win over Polish sixth seed Magda Linette to earn a Nottingham Open final clash with American McCartney Kessler. Yastremska beat Linette 6-4, 6-4 in Saturday's semifinals before Kessler defeated Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova 6-4, 6-2. The world number 46 broke Linette in the fifth game of the match and held her advantage to take the opening set in 45 minutes. ALSO READ | Halle Open 2025: Medvedev dispatches home hope Zverev to reach final Yastremska, 25, raced into a 4-1 lead in the second set before a rain delay forced her to wait to clinch an impressive victory over the world number 31. Kessler, ranked 42nd, needed just 70 minutes to dismiss Sramkova. The 25-year-old took the first set with a break in the 10th game when Sramkova double-faulted on set point. Kessler went for the kill as she surged into a 4-0 lead against the world number 38 in the second set before serving out the win.