Magnus Carlsen makes bold assessment of Gukesh at Grand Chess: One of weaker players-OxBig News Network

Magnus Carlsen has reignited his rivalry with reigning world champion D. Gukesh by making a stark, unapologetic assessment ahead of their highly anticipated clash at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2025. The world No. 1 openly questioned the 18-year-old’s credentials in faster formats, suggesting Gukesh remains unproven and, in his words, “one of the presumably weaker players” in the tournament field.

“I think Gukesh played quite well here last time,” Carlsen said in the pre-tournament press conference in Zagreb. “But it remains to be proven that he’s one of the best players in this format. We have a very, very strong field Gukesh hasn’t done anything to indicate that he’s going to do well in such a tournament. I hope, for his sake, that he can do better. But playing him in this tournament, I will approach it as if I’m playing one of the presumably weaker players.”

The blunt remarks add fresh fuel to a rivalry that has been simmering since their last meeting in Stavanger. At Norway Chess last month, Gukesh stunned Carlsen in a dramatic classical game, coming from behind to hand the Norwegian a rare defeat from a winning position. Carlsen, visibly anguished, thumped the table in frustration—sending pieces scattering in a moment that quickly went viral and captured the shock of a five-time world champion undone by an 18-year-old.

That encounter came in classical time controls, where Gukesh has made his mark. But the third leg of the Grand Chess Tour, starting July 3 in Zagreb, shifts to rapid and blitz—a domain long dominated by Carlsen, and where Gukesh has had limited success.

The two are set to face off three times during the event—once in rapid and twice in blitz—between July 3 and 6. Their clash on July 3 will mark the first meeting since that unforgettable Round 6 battle at Norway Chess, where Carlsen’s implosion and Gukesh’s composure flipped the script.

For Gukesh, who earlier this year became the youngest classical world champion in history, the challenge now is to prove he belongs among the elite in the shorter formats. He’ll have company in compatriot Praggnanandhaa R, winner of the Bucharest leg of the tour, and one of the most in-form players on the circuit.

Carlsen, meanwhile, isn’t short on confidence. When asked to name the top contenders, he was direct: “If I’m in good shape, it will take something special to beat me.” He picked Alireza Firouzja as his “clear second favourite”, leaving little doubt as to how he sees the field—and his place in it.

Gukesh may be the world champion, but Carlsen’s words are a reminder of who still sees himself as the game’s benchmark. The challenge, then, is for the young Indian to rise to the pace of rapid and blitz—formats where instinct and experience often trump calculation.

On the eve of the tournament, former world champion Garry Kasparov offered a pointed bit of advice—perhaps as much to Gukesh as to the chess world’s rising generation: “The moment you stop improving—actually, the moment you stop thinking about improving—it’s over. I stayed on top for so long because I knew that the main opponent is your own excellence The moment you rest, you know it won’t take long to decline.”

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