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The social media team had a clear idea of what they were doing. Norway Chess released a short video just prior to the players dragging themselves onto sailboats for a required rest day activity. It was just a compilation of birthday greetings
Dommaraju Gukesh just celebrated his 20th birthday. Finally, the reigning World Champion was leaving behind his adolescent days.
The majority of the messages were the typical polite greetings. Then, Magnus Carlsen appeared on the screen. The unrivaled king of the board was staring into the camera with a familiar smirk. He didn’t say a cliché.
Happy birthday Gukesh! Now you are not still a teen, it’s time to grow up.
An amazing piece of psychological theatre. It was immediately picked up by the Internet. A viral moment in seconds. Carlsen has no doubt of his aura. He understands the force of his words, particularly towards the kid that now owns him. It was playful. It was barbed. Oh, it was classic Magnus!
This is a Brutal Thursday in the Library…
It’s taken a few hours to appreciate the full force of the joke.
It was round 4 on Thursday. Gukesh was sitting opposite of Carlsen in the Deichman Bjørvika library as he made his way through the last hours of his teenage life. These two have history to them. Carlsen has been openly skeptical of the youngster’s real in-person playing ability for months. The previous time they played this tournament, Carlsen lost his shit and slammed his hand on the table.
This time, the Norwegian didn’t have to strike anything. He only just demolished the teenager.
Gukesh was playing as the White player. He was on fire in the Ragozin Defence. A time there it appeared to be an easy job. But Gukesh pushed. He wanted a clear-cut victory over the number one seed.
Carlsen noticed immediately what is happening. He was very direct with his comments following the game. “He played too much of a tiger in the match and he could not have gotten any swing in a position where he didn’t have any swing,” he added. Slow and careful was the penalty. Carlsen made his pieces come to life and focused on the weakened pawn structure, and began turning the screws
Time was running out. Time pressure started to play a huge role. The defensive line was a big liability for Gukesh, but it was quite a time he managed to hold it together. Carlsen, who took a shot from 20 yards upfield, later broke the defense and turned it into a clean, stifling win.
Gukesh’s last game as a teenage was a loss. The man who struck him the following day, however, ordered him to get up the next morning.
Birthday on the Water
On Friday, the violence on the board was put to a stop. Norway Chess is adamant about such grand rest day events.
The 12 competitors were taken from their preparation laptops. Six from the Open section. Six members from the Women’s section. They were taken out to the Oslofjord and divided in two sailboats. A group of grandmasters who are suddenly handed the task of learning nautical rigging.
This was a drastic change of scenery. However, Gukesh seemed to be feeling very at ease on the water. The result of the previous night’s terrible defeat was put on hold. As the boats drifted around the freezing fjord, fellow players started impromptu choruses of ‘Happy Birthday’ at least twice.
The other field players’ official messages were much warmer in the official video that went out that morning. Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun extended a very simple and sincere greeting. A friend who has played in the same circles as Gukesh in Chennai all his life wished him good health and long life, which is known as ‘Praggnanandhaa’ too.
Veteran Koneru Humpy added a touch of history to the proceedings, as one who has seen many generations of Indians rise and fall. She said the whole country is proud of the achievement, but admitted the “tough transition” from ‘prodigy’ to ‘grown man’.
The Reality of the New Decade
The good old days of the honeymoon are over. If you win the World Championship at 18 years old you have a grace period. Once you’re 20 years old, you own the heavy crown.
Gukesh’s campaign in Norway has been truly unfortunate. He came into rest day with a 3.5 point advantage. He had come to Oslo openheartedly after admitting publicly that his current form had begun to attract criticism which was “inevitable”. As the champion, it is impossible not to have your losses analysed worldwide.
There is a huge difference between him and his fellow countryman. Gukesh was having a bad game with Carlsen, while Praggnanandhaa was having a good game. Pragg took Vincent Keymer to a draw in classical time controls. Norway Chess has a harsh rule that any classical game drawn will immediately trigger an Armageddon tiebreak. Pragg utterly demolished Keymer in that sudden death affair.
With six points, Pragg is currently in second place. He is inspired to hunt down tournament leader Alireza Firouzja who is currently at the top with 8.5 points. The situation was quite the opposite for Firouzja, who lost his own Armageddon bout to Wesley So on Thursday, but had a margin to keep the lead. In the female’s event, Bibisara Assaubayeva is ahead of Ju Wenjun following her victory in the tiebreak.
An All-Indian Collision
Sails are in the dock. It’s after the rest day. The truth of being 20 hits the board on Saturday morning.
The first round 5 matchups won’t allow for a soft reset in any way. Now it’s on Gukesh to take on Praggnanandhaa. It’s a huge impact event. Praggnanandhaa is on a roll and is going for his first historic title in Norway. He won’t give a friend any late birthday presents.
Gukesh will have to come up with a result ASAP to revive this tournament. If he loses to Pragg, it will be a disaster for his campaign. Meanwhile, Carlsen carries his new momentum into a big battle with Wesley So.
The teen years are now as far back as they can get. The banter was fun. A nice boat ride was provided. However, the chess world is closely watching the reigning champion. They are hoping for a miracle from the 20-year-old in a guerrilla campaign in one of the planet’s most cutthroat tournaments.
