A seething Magnus Carlsen slammed his fist into a table after suffering his first defeat to world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in a classical game on Sunday in Stavanger.
Carlsen had his opponent on the ropes for much of the match in the Norway Chess 2025 tournament but his composure cracked under the pressure of a ticking clock and he committed a blunder that handed India’s Gukesh a decisive advantage.
Carlsen slammed his fist on the table after the defeat before exchanging a quick handshake with Gukesh, apologising for his outburst and storming off.
“I mean, (the win was) not the way I wanted it to be, but okay, I’ll take it,” Gukesh told Chess.com.
“… I’ve also banged a lot of tables in my career.”
Carlsen remained tied at the top of the standings after the defeat. The win lifts Gukesh to eight-and-a-half points, one behind joint leaders Carlsen and the American Fabiano Caruana, with four rounds still to play.
“Well, we could say it was lucky,” said Gukesh’s coach Grzegorz Gajewski. “But we have to give a lot of credit to Guki for his stubbornness and for his resourcefulness.”
Carlsen has held his position at the top of the world rankings since 1 July 2011.
Reuters
