D Gukesh 'shocked' to hear Magnus Carlsen thinking about quitting Classical chess: 'Did not see that coming'

Magnus Carlsen has caused quite the stir in the chess world by hinting at quitting the Classical format altogether, which has “shocked” reigning world champion D Gukesh and taken many others at surprise. Carlsen made the statement following a stunning defeat against Gukesh in the sixth round of the ongoing Norway Chess last week, in which the five-time world champion resigned in 62 moves shortly after committing a blunder.

‘Bit sad for others, but it is his decision’

“I did not see that coming. Kind of shocked. Oh, okay, I don’t know. It is interesting that he has announced it now. He has been pretty clear about not wanting to play classical. It is a bit sad for the others, but it is his decision,” Gukesh said in an interview with the broadcasters of the event that is taking place in Stavanger, Norway.

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Carlsen, who has been the world No 1 in Classical chess since 2011, has been critical of the format for months now with his energy primarily focused on the Freestyle Chess, a.k.a. Chess960, as well as the inaugural Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour that got underway in February and has events running till December.

And while he had been held to a draw by world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura and Chinese Grandmaster Wei Yi earlier in the tournament, it was after his defeat against Gukesh that Carlsen got even more serious about bidding Standard chess goodbye once and for all.

“I think I’ll play the last three games (in Norway Chess), and then I will have to make some decisions about next year here or potential other tournaments later, because, yeah, I just don’t enjoy (classical chess) that much,” Carlsen, who currently occupies the second spot on the Norway Chess standings with two rounds to go, had said after his loss against Gukesh.

Watch | Magnus Carlsen slams table in frustration after losing to D Gukesh, skips media duties

Carlsen had defeated Gukesh in 55 moves in the opening round on 26 May to begin his title defence at Norway Chess with a bang. It was Gukesh’s first meeting with the 34-year-old Norwegian since being crowned world champion in December.

Gukesh, who had started off with back-to-back defeats against Carlsen and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, bounced back in style a week later, grinding his way to a hard-fought victory after the home favourite found himself in a dominant position at one stage.

Action resumes in Stavanger on Thursday following the second and final ‘Rest Day’, with Carlsen facing current leader Fabiano Caruana and Arjun in the last two rounds.

Gukesh, who is joint-third with Nakamura on 11.5 points, faces Wei in Round 9 before ending his campaign against Caruana, whom he had beaten in the Armageddon playoff earlier after playing out a draw in the Classical game.