Magnus Carlsen supreme but not without the Gukesh pinch

There are rumours that Norway Chess was Magnus Carlsen's last classical competition (X/ninansusan)

Magnus Carlsen was unusually relaxed during his tie-breaker game against Arjun Erigaisi in the last round of Norway Chess. In a rare occurrence, he even appeared to be grinning when he was about to lose that bout against the Indian. That’s because, he knew that he had already won the title.

Before these two went into that shortened version to break the tie, D Gukesh had lost to Fabiano Caruana. Had Carlsen lost within normal time control, the American would have clinched the title. But the Norwegian world No.1 had seen what was unfolding. A seventh title in one of the biggest events in chess was on the cards even if he lost the tie-breaker. Defeats and wins in tie-breakers in this event don’t affect ratings and world rankings either. He could afford a chuckle.

It sums up the greatness of the legend in many ways. He plays this classical format rarely these days because he finds the process boring. He excels in the quicker versions like rapid and blitz and also pays attention to the format fast catching up called freestyle. He has chosen not to defend the world title he won five times. There are rumours that Norway Chess was his last classical competition.

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Yet, King Carlsen reigns supreme. He was losing against Erigaisi, according to experts including Viswanathan Anand doing live commentary. The way he salvaged the situation was the mark of a genius. The only blotch in this campaign was the defeat against Gukesh in the sixth round. He had beaten the world champion fair and square in the first round and was on course for an encore. He blundered. Gukesh chugged on, and found something out of nothing to register his first classical win against the player he rates as the best he has played against.

Carlsen hid a lot of frustration during those moments when he was about to clinch the crown in the last round. To his own admission, that defeat against Gukesh ruined his plans of “having a perfect tournament”. He banged his fist on the board after that loss, which unsettled everybody including Gukesh and the chess world. He is not one to show frustration. He draws that out of his opponents.

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Because Carlsen showed he is vulnerable, that will remain a seminal moment in recent chess history — the undisputed world No. 1 and arguably the best player of all time showing so vividly how badly he was hurt by that setback against the youngest-ever world champion. He smiled in the end, only after admitting that he was shaken by Gukesh’s fighting abilities under pressure.

Carlsen will remain a legend who will remember this. He won his prize and proved a point which nobody asked him to, but not before succumbing to a teenager he had shown scant respect for at his moment of triumph. Even the greatest win the most of them all and lose a few that linger. It was one such moment for the best player across a few generations.