Gukesh Beats Carlsen For Second Time, Leads Grand Chess Tour With 10 Points

Indian chess sensation D Gukesh has once again stunned World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, defeating him in the sixth round of the Grand Chess Tour 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia. With this win, Gukesh has taken the sole lead in the tournament with 10 points, reinforcing his position at the top of the leaderboard.

The latest clash between the two followed a similar trajectory to their encounter at Norway Chess 2025. Carlsen attempted to gain the upper hand early on by employing the English Opening, and for a while, the strategy gave him an advantage. However, the momentum shifted dramatically midway through the game when the 34-year-old Norwegian made a critical blunder, allowing Gukesh to turn the tide in his favor.

Before facing Carlsen in the sixth round, the 19-year-old Indian grandmaster had already built impressive momentum, defeating Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov and American GM Fabiano Caruana in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively.

After his victory, Gukesh expressed how meaningful it was to beat a player of Carlsen's stature, especially from a difficult position. Speaking to the Hindustan Times, he said:

"Yes, beating Magnus is always special, for sure. I think this also gives a bit more confidence in a sense that, like, I just had a horrible position from the opening. I just mixed up something really bad. It's nice that, like, two losing positions in a row, I could win against Magnus."

The result also drew strong reactions from chess legend Garry Kasparov, who was part of the event's commentary team. Kasparov questioned whether Carlsen's era of dominance may be slipping, emphasizing that Gukesh's victory wasn't just a fluke.

"Now we can question Magnus' domination. This is not just his second loss to Gukesh, it's a convincing loss. It's not a miracle... or that Gukesh just kept benefitting from Magnus' terrible mistakes. It was a game that was a big fight. And Magnus lost," said Kasparov.

With several rounds still to go in the Grand Chess Tour, Gukesh's latest triumph cements his status as one of the strongest and most fearless contenders on the world stage.