Magnus Carlsen’s shock defeat to 19-year-old Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh in Round 6 of the Norway Chess tournament triggered not only visible frustration from the five-time world champion but also a deep introspection on the direction of his chess career.Carlsen, 34, lost a game he appeared to be dominating, his emotions spilling over as he banged the table, scattering pieces in disbelief. The Norwegian later admitted Gukesh’s fighting spirit and youthful energy had made the difference — even though, by Carlsen’s own assessment, it wasn’t a game the teenager should have won.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“For a long time, he was just more or less blindly pushing,” Carlsen said on Monday. “And then, yeah, on a normal day, of course, I win that game, and things look quite differently.”Who’s that IPL player?The top-ranked Carlsen acknowledged that while Gukesh may not have made the best moves technically, his persistence paid off.“I remember being that age myself,” said Carlsen. “Sometimes your energy, fighting qualities, and just optimism are bigger than the quality of your moves.”Gukesh’s victory was a testament to his grit, and Carlsen didn’t hesitate to praise him. “He really fights very, very well, and he was there to take his chance, so he deserves credit for that,” he said. “But that’s the kind of chance I really, really have to put away.”The Norwegian star has increasingly expressed doubts about his interest in Classical chess, hinting at a shift toward faster formats like blitz, rapid, or freestyle chess.“It’s not that I cannot play Classical… it’s just situations like yesterday, I’m just wondering, like, why am I doing this?” Carlsen admitted.
Following his emotional loss, Carlsen rebounded with a convincing Armageddon win over World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura after a quick 21-move draw in their classical encounter.“Winning the Armageddon was kind of the best scenario for me,” Carlsen said. “I discovered that move… it may have been played before, but I didn’t know for sure.”Carlsen also hinted at skipping Norway Chess next year and emphasized the value of enjoying his time off the board — particularly with golf and family.“I guess there’s a lot of pain being a top sportsman,” he concluded.
