World chess champion Gukesh secured a notable victory against world number one Magnus Carlsen in a rapid game at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2025 in Zagreb on Thursday, earning praise from chess legends Susan Polgar and Garry Kasparov. This win follows Gukesh’s previous victory over Carlsen at Norway Chess in a classical format match.After losing his opening game to Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Gukesh made a remarkable comeback by defeating five top players in succession, including Carlsen. He now leads the rapid section with Carlsen trailing by four points going into the final day.Susan Polgar expressed her support for Gukesh on X, addressing critics who questioned his world champion status.“I am so happy for Gukesh. Some have doubted his worthiness as a World Champion, and believed that he was just a lucky winner against an off form Ding Liren. I read a lot of criticism from doubters,” Polgar wrote.
Susan Polgar on X
Polgar further wrote on Gukesh’s impressive tournament performance. “In this tournament in Croatia, he started off with a loss against Duda. He was already written off as a bottom feeder by others. Then he won 5 straight, taking down Firouzja with white, Praggnanandhaa with black, Abdusattorov with black, Caruana with white, and Carlsen with black! No matter what will happen tomorrow, beating those 5 consecutively is a feat very few can ever do. I hope this will give him confidence to rise to another level!”Before the tournament, Carlsen had expressed skepticism about Gukesh’s abilities in rapid and blitz formats.“Gukesh hasn’t done anything to indicate that he’s going to do well (in rapid and blitz). It remains to be proven that he’s one of the best players in such a format. This is a very, very strong field that we have here. Players like Gukesh have a lot to prove. In the course of 27 rounds, things usually show. I hope for Gukesh’s sake that he can play better,” Carlsen had stated. Carlsen had also mentioned he would treat games against Gukesh as matches against one of the “presumably weaker players in the tournament.“
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However, after his defeat, Carlsen acknowledged the Indian’s performance. “Gukesh is doing incredible well (at this tournament). It’s a long way to go in the tournament but winning five games in a row is no mean feat,” Carlsen admitted. Former world champion Garry Kasparov also praised Gukesh’s abilities, comparing his playing style to that of a computer.The tournament continues with both rapid and blitz sections, where Gukesh and Carlsen will face each other in one rapid and two blitz games over the weekend.
