Gukesh outwits Carlsen; leads Super United rapid and blitz
Zagreb (Croatia) (PTI): World champion D Gukesh let his moves do the talking as he scored another impressive win over world number one Magnus Carlsen to grab the sole lead after six rounds of the Super United Rapid and blitz chess tournament here.
Counting the opening day victories, the win against Carlsen late on Thursday was Gukesh's fifth consecutive triumph in the tournament and took him to 10 points out of a possible 12.
With just three rounds to come in rapid section, Gukesh enjoys two points lead over nearest rival Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland. Wesley So of United States is in sole third spot on seven points, a full point clear of Carlsen, Anish Giri of Holland and local hero Ivan Saric.
R Praggnanandhaa shares the seventh spot on five points with American Fabiano Caruana, while Alireza Firouzja of France is in ninth spot on four points. Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan is 10th on just three points.
Carlsen has never minced his words and has been a critic of Gukesh in the faster version of the game.
The World number one had infamously banged the table after his previous loss to Gukesh in the Norway chess tournament. That was the Indian's first victory over the world number one in Classical chess.
The victory as black was sweet for Gukesh.
Carlsen enjoyed some optical advantage after his king pawn opening but the day belonged to Gukesh who found the perfect counter play.
At some point Carlsen had to part with two minor pieces for a rook and a couple of extra pawns that looked menacing.
However, Gukesh calmly exploited Carlsen's bad plan with the clock ticking away and the famous victory was scored after 49 moves.
Earlier in the day, Gukesh had beaten Abdusattorov and Caruana with some fine efforts.
Praggnanandhaa's search for an elusive victory continued as he played out three draws with Caruana, Carlsen and Giri. Praggnanandhaa will need some victories on the final day to make a comeback in the tournament.
Standings after round 6:
1. D Gukesh (Ind, 10); 2. Duda Jan-Krzysztof (Pol, 8); 3. Wesley So (Usa, 7); 4-6: Ivan Saric (Cro); Magnus Carlsen (Nor); Anish Giri (Ned) 6 each; 7-8; Fabiano Caruana (Usa); R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) 2 each. 9. Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 4); 10. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 3).
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
