Gukesh turns tables; Carlsen bangs one after Indian triumphs in Norway Chess showdown
Stavanger, Jun 2 (PTI): World champion D Gukesh got his revenge on Magnus Carlsen as he pounced on a blunder by the world no.1 to defeat him for the first time in a classical game, leaving the Norwegian superstar so frustrated that he banged his fist on the board after Round 6 of Norway Chess Tournament here.
The win on Sunday propelled 19-year-old Gukesh to third position with 8.5 points and he is just one point shy of joint leaders Carlsen and American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana.
"There wasn't much I could do. It was just clearly lost (his position)...luckily he (Carlsen) got into a time scramble," the reticent Chennai-lad said after the eagerly-watched contest.
"First Classical win over Magnus, not the way I expected (or) wanted it to be but I will take it. I was just trying to make moves (today) which kind of were tricky for him," he explained.
"...99 out of 100 times I would lose… just a lucky day," Gukesh later told the tournament broadcasters.
Five-time world champion Carlsen seemed to have the upper-hand almost throughout the four-hour-long contest but a critical mistake allowed Gukesh to turn the tables on the Norwegian and secure a remarkable win.
Carlsen realised his mistake but by then it was too late. The Norwegian superstar vented his frustration by banging his fist on the table, causing the chess board to be dishevelled.
Disbelief and frustration was writ large on his face as he shook hands with Gukesh before placing all the pieces back on the board and walking away patting the winner on the back.
Gukesh was calm personified amid all this. He closed his eyes for a moment after the rather tense handshake with a clearly upset Carlsen.
The victory had come after a crushing Round 1 loss to iconic player which had cast a shadow on whether Gukesh would be able to overcome Carlsen's challenge in the reverse game.
Arjun Erigaisi, following an Armageddon tie-break win against China's Wei Yi, is tied fourth with Hikaru Nakamura on 7.5 points in a tournament where virtually all the six players have a chance of winning the prestigious title.
Gukesh turns it all around and WINS his first classical game against Magnus Carlsen!https://t.co/7Aid1cvNlK#NorwayChess pic.twitter.com/KMpRadXJq0
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
