Carlsen's Verdict on Gukesh: World Champion's Progress "Remains to Be Seen" to Impress

Magnus Carlsen, the world's top-ranked chess player, has offered his assessment of reigning world champion D. Gukesh following the first day of the SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz 2025 tournament.

Magnus Carlsen from Norway, left, and Gukesh Dommaraju from India during the first game of Norway Chess in Finansparken in Stavanger, Norway, Monday, May 26, 2025. (Carina Johansen/NTB via AP)

Gukesh, the 19-year-old chess prodigy, is currently tied for the lead alongside Carlsen, Wesley So, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda.

In an interview, Carlsen lauded R. Praggnanandhaa's achievements but suggested that Gukesh, while improving, hasn't yet reached a level that he finds particularly noteworthy.

"Pragg has done very, very well for a while now," Carlsen stated. "I mean, he's won three classical super tournaments this year, which is extremely impressive. The other kids, they have their ups and downs."

He also acknowledged the potential of other players in the tournament. "Normally, you would think in such a format, Alireza would be very strong. He probably has not had the best start, but I'm sure he'll be there."

Addressing Gukesh's development, Carlsen added, "Gukesh is showing signs of improvement as well. It's very hard to say who's going to do well. But in terms of impressing me, well, that remains to be seen."

Carlsen himself admitted to feeling "rusty" after the first round of the SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz 2025.

"I feel like it was a little bit shaky today, especially in time trouble. Of course, in the first game, nothing really happened. In the second, I managed to eke out a win somehow against Wesley. Didn't really feel that I had much at all. But then all of a sudden, I think he missed a little trick when I was able to keep the bishops on the board. And I think he got quite rattled after that."

Reflecting on his performance in the final game, Carlsen said, "In the last game, I didn't particularly mind the draw. But I also wanted to try. And I felt like I managed to get chances there out of nothing. I don't know if I had serious winning chances. Towards the end, I was really flirting with a loss as well. But yeah, overall, the score is all right. I'll take that. But it feels a bit rusty."