The world No 1 can still win the event in Norway but he says: ‘It’s a long time since I enjoyed a classical tournament’
Magnus Carlsen’s shock loss to Gukesh Dommaraju was the world No 1’s first classical defeat by a classical world champion since he lost to Vishy Anand 15 years ago at the 2010 London Classic. It spoilt what should have been a winning position for him at Stavanger, where he was poised to break clear of the field. There are now suggestions that this will be Carlsen’s farewell appearance in classical. He told Take Take Take: “It’s a long time since I enjoyed a classical tournament.”
Meanwhile, though, Carlsen could go out on a high on Friday afternoon when he and Gukesh fight for first prize in the final round at Stavanger (4pm start), with Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana also still in contention.
Scores are Carlsen (Norway) 15, Gukesh (India) 14.5, Nakamura (US) 13, Caruana (US) 12.5, Arjun Erigaisi (India) 11.5, Wei Yi (China) 8. Last round pairings are Erigaisi v Carlsen, Caruana v Gukesh, Wei v Nakamura.
The cream of the world’s chess players will come to the Novotel London West Hotel, Hammersmith next week, for the World Rapid and Blitz championships, with an opportunity for Londoners to watch them in action. Play is daily from 1.30pm to 8.30pm from Wednesday 11 June to Sunday 15 June. Tickets are limited, and priced accordingly.
