Chess world champion Gukesh Dommaraju pulled off his first-ever classical chess win against Magnus Carlsen on Sunday. And the moment was nothing short of emotional.
After losing the intense match, Carlsen punched the table in frustration, gave a quick handshake to his opponent, and walked off. Gukesh rose from his seat, too, covering his face with his hands, and standing in silence for a few seconds as the weight of the moment sank in.
The win marks a significant achievement in the 19-year-old’s career.
“Right now, what means the most to me is that I didn’t lose the game,” Gukesh said. “But yes, beating Magnus in any form is special.”
Carlsen had dominated their first-round match, and early on, it looked like he was on track to do it again. But the tables turned fast. With both players running on just a 10-second increment, Carlsen made a few crucial errors. And Gukesh seized the opportunity.
What people are saying online
On Reddit, commenters shared their thoughts after watching the viral clip—where both players’ reactions couldn’t have been more different.
“For people who may not know, Gukesh’s reaction here is not because of the outburst,” one person explained. “Gukesh is the reigning world champion, but Magnus hasn’t participated in the last few world championships as a form of protest due to him disagreeing with the way the participants are selected.”
“Magnus is widely considered the best chess player of all time, so Gukesh winning a world championship that Magnus didn’t participate in had many people making the predictable comment of ‘he only won because Magnus didn’t participate,’ so this win here is one to prove that he can beat the GOAT,” they concluded.
“The clash of congratulating your opponent and being pissed at yourself was very strong here!” chimed in another.
And a third added, “Everyone is focusing on Magnus’s reaction. How about the rawness of Gukesh.”
“Years of training for this, and still you don’t know if it’s possible,” they continued. “He was trying hard to make sure the moment doesn’t take him over and tries to stay composed. What a juxtaposition.”
Current World Champion Gukesh defeats Magnus Carlsen for the first time in classical chess.
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