Gukesh turns tables; Carlsen bangs one after Indian triumphs in Norway Chess showdown

World champion D Gukesh got his revenge on Magnus Carlsen as he pounced on a blunder by the world no.1 to defeat him for the first time in a classical game, leaving the Norwegian superstar so frustrated that he banged his fist on the board after Round 6 of Norway Chess Tournament here.

The win on Sunday propelled 19-year-old Gukesh to third position with 8.5 points and he is just one point shy of joint leaders Carlsen and American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana.

"There wasn't much I could do. It was just clearly lost (his position)...luckily he (Carlsen) got into a time scramble," the reticent Chennai-lad said after the eagerly-watched contest.

"First Classical win over Magnus, not the way I expected (or) wanted it to be but I will take it. I was just trying to make moves (today) which kind of were tricky for him," he explained.

"...99 out of 100 times I would lose… just a lucky day," Gukesh later told the tournament broadcasters.

Five-time world champion Carlsen seemed to have the upper-hand almost throughout the four-hour-long contest but a critical mistake allowed Gukesh to turn the tables on the Norwegian and secure a remarkable win.

Carlsen realised his mistake but by then it was too late. The Norwegian superstar vented his frustration by banging his fist on the table, causing the chess board to be dishevelled.

Disbelief and frustration was writ large on his face as he shook hands with Gukesh before placing all the pieces back on the board and walking away patting the winner on the back.

Gukesh was calm personified amid all this. He closed his eyes for a moment after the rather tense handshake with a clearly upset Carlsen.

The victory had come after a crushing Round 1 loss to iconic player which had cast a shadow on whether Gukesh would be able to overcome Carlsen's challenge in the reverse game.

Arjun Erigaisi, following an Armageddon tie-break win against China's Wei Yi, is tied fourth with Hikaru Nakamura on 7.5 points in a tournament where virtually all the six players have a chance of winning the prestigious title.

PTI