Zagreb (Croatia), July 4 (H.S.): India’s young grandmaster D. Gukesh defeated world number one Magnus Carlsen in the sixth round of the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) 2025, creating a significant upset. This victory elevated Gukesh to 10 points, placing him at the top of the tournament, following wins against Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Fabiano Caruana in earlier rounds. Carlsen had approached the match considering Gukesh a weaker player, but Gukesh proved him wrong with his exceptional performance.

This match was the first of three, with the subsequent encounters set to be played in blitz format. Gukesh’s triumph not only highlights his individual skill but also symbolizes the growing prominence of Indian chess on the global stage.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar