Gukesh makes a statement with Rapid dominance

It was a rather unique sight. Magnus Carlsen — known for messing with his opponents’ heads and making them doubt their moves — was the one dithering, anguish visibly spreading across his face as his clock ticked down to its dying seconds.

- HT Correspondent

In the Zagreb studio of the SuperUnited rapid and blitz event, his former coach and one of the game’s greats, Garry Kasparov, bluntly placed his bet in favour of the Indian teenager sitting across from Carlsen. It was supposed to be a grudge game for Carlsen in a format where he's considered vastly stronger than the guy he was playing — reigning world champion, Gukesh D. But there he was, hesitating, floundering and being outplayed by Gukesh whom he had written off earlier as “one of the weaker players” of the tournament.

To be fair, Gukesh — a beast in classical chess — hadn't had eye-popping results in the faster time controls. It was considered a chink in his armour, until he arrived in Zagreb and left everyone slack-jawed with his results — topping the rapid section in a stacked field on Friday.