Carlsen deciphers the Indian prodigy.

Azerbaijan's world number one player Magnus Carlsen defeated 17-year-old talent Gukesh Dommaraju in the first standard game of the World Cup quarterfinals.

Gulesh, playing with white pieces, made a fast opening, while Carlsen was unprepared for his opponent's chosen variation. However, the world number eight suffered an early queen exchange in a nearly forced line variation, leading the game into an early endgame. Carlsen is highly regarded in the endgame, and he capitalized on this ability to turn a draw into a victory. The Norwegian player used his rook to capture White's isolated pawn, winning after 48 moves.

Carlsen (right) during his match against Gukesh in the quarterfinals of the Chess World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, on August 15, 2023. Photo: FIDE

Carlsen will face Gukesh again in the second round starting at 6 PM today, August 16th, Hanoi time, but the 33-year-old has the advantage of playing with the white pieces and only needs a draw. The Indian prodigy, however, must win to take the match to a tie-break.

After his victory on August 15th, Carlsen said he had a good mindset before the competition. When asked about the secret to his endgame skills, the world number one said: "It's mainly talent and hard work. When I was younger, I wasn't as good at endgames as I am now, but I practiced many practical and theoretical endgame positions."

Gulesh suffered his first loss at the Chess World Cup, after 10 undefeated games. The 17-year-old dropped one place to eighth in the world rankings, but remains number one in India. He has risen in the rankings over the past few years, entering the Top 100 just over a year ago, but is now in the Top 10.

The World Cup quarter-finals also saw another decisive set on August 15th, when Erigaisi Arjun defeated another Indian prodigy, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. "Pragg" still has a chance to advance if he wins against Erigaisi in the second set today.

The Chess World Cup, held every two years, is one of the largest individual chess tournaments. This year's tournament took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from July 30th to August 24th, with 206 players in the Open category and 103 in the Women's category. The players competed in a knockout format, with the top three players from each category advancing to the Candidates tournament. However, even if Carlsen qualified for the Candidates, he would still be open to participating as he currently lacks interest in playing standard chess.

Xuan Binh

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