'Gukesh is probably bit stronger than myself…' - Magnus Carlsen explains why he overlooked Indian champion

Gukesh Shrugged off Carlsen’s Pre-Tournament skepticism to claim Candidates glory.

Dommaraju Gukesh, better known as Gukesh D, recently etched his name in chess history by becoming only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to clinch the Candidates tournament and the youngest ever World Championship challenger.

The 17-year-old stunned top-ranked players like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, and Hikaru Nakamura to claim the title in Toronto, Canada, on Monday.

After Gukesh D was crowned champion, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen praised the 17-year-old Indian. The Norwegian also admitted to underestimating Gukesh’s caliber before the tournament began. Carlsen said on the Chess24 stream:

“Gukesh is probably a bit stronger than myself and others realized. The thing about Gukesh is that he can look vulnerable at times. Then he’s also not very good at speed chess. That can confuse (people’s assessment about him). And he’s not as high-profile as some of the other youngsters, which is confusing. But he’s proven in this tournament that he’s very strong.”

The Indian Open team at the 2024 FIDE Candidates included the names of Vidit Gujrathi, Praggnanandhaa, and Gukesh. Interestingly, all three candidates were playing in the tournament for the first time. However, before the tournament, the Norwegian chess grandmaster stated that he was not fond of advising any youngsters, saying no youngster could become World No. 1 at the moment:

“In terms of the young players, they’re on the right track. I don’t think any of them are ready… like to be No. 1 in the world anytime soon. But many players are never going to be like that. I don’t want to give these youngsters advice or anything.”

Magnus Carlsen also revealed that Gukesh had contacted him for advice ahead of the 2024 FIDE Candidates, as it was his first time in the prestigious tournament. Carlsen added:

Trending Indian Sports articles

• Which Indian Shuttlers are in race to qualify for Paris Olympics after March 2024?
• Top 10 most followed sports in India in 2024
• Can Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya still qualify for Paris Olympics 2024?
• Can Indian boxers still qualify for Paris Olympics 2024 after disappointment at 1st World boxing Qualifiers?
• List of Indian athletes to have secured qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

“He asked what he should do at the Candidates. I said, ‘I don’t have any advice. I don’t know.’ I only told him that he should not go crazy and that he should wait for his chances because other people will go crazy. I don’t think that advice was even helpful at all. He’s played very well.”

Nevertheless, by winning the tournament, Gukesh D has displayed his chess prowess on a global level, leading World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen to laud the Indian star.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram