D Gukesh, now a defining name in Indian chess, made history as the youngest-ever World Champion after defeating Ding Liren last year. However, his achievement faced scrutiny, with critics like Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik questioning the championship’s quality—especially following Liren’s costly blunder in the decisive game.
Come June, Gukesh silenced doubters with a remarkable comeback win over Carlsen—the very man many believed he needed to beat to legitimize his title. Carlsen, who had opted out of the previous FIDE cycle and is not competing in the current one, remains widely considered the greatest of all time. For some fans and Grandmasters, Gukesh’s title was incomplete without a showdown—and victory—against the Norwegian legend.
Their first encounter in Norway Chess saw Gukesh falter. But in Round 6, he returned stronger, sticking to the fundamentals and battling fiercely. In a dramatic endgame, Carlsen blundered, allowing Gukesh to pull off a stunning victory. The loss clearly stung—Carlsen was visibly furious, slamming the table in frustration.
Anand Reacts to Carlsen’s Outburst
Reacting to Carlsen’s visible anger, Viswanathan Anand offered insight during an interview with PTI. He noted, “Beating Gukesh clearly meant a lot to Magnus. Even if he’s been going through the motions in other games, this one was different. He wanted to prove something—maybe send a message to the younger generation to wait their turn. A 2-0 scoreline against Gukesh here would’ve made him very, very happy.”
Anand sympathized with Carlsen’s frustration, saying, “Anyone would’ve been upset losing from such a strong position. Missing that the knight comes back—it’s painful. I’ve been there myself. I remember blowing a winning game against Magnus in 2022 in Norway. I felt exactly the same way.”
He suggested fatigue or the tournament’s unique format—classical games followed by Armageddon tie-breaks—may have also played a role in Carlsen’s slip-up.
Anand also reminded that such emotional reactions are not new to chess: “We’ve seen plenty of anger before. This has been around for a while—players screaming, cursing. I remember at the 2000 World Championship in Delhi, Ivanchuk once threw a chair after a game with Jaan Ehlvest. The only difference now is the presence of cameras.”
On the intensity of the Carlsen-Gukesh clash, Anand added, “Even if Magnus isn’t as passionate about classical chess anymore, he clearly took these games against Gukesh very seriously. Maybe not Gukesh personally, but the idea of proving himself against the current World Champion. There was clearly a lot going on in his mind, and it boiled over.”
When asked if FIDE might take disciplinary action, Anand reflected cautiously: “Rules depend on interpretation. It’s tricky. I’m sure it’ll be brought up for discussion. But someone like Hikaru Nakamura says incidents like this draw attention and maybe we need more of it. There’s a balance to be found. Either way, I expect FIDE will address it soon.”
