Carlsen Acknowledges Gukesh's Rise, But Remains Unconvinced After SuperUnited Croatia Opener

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.

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

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)

In an interview, Carlsen lauded R. Praggnanandhaa, noting Gukesh's improvement but stating that he is "not impressed" by any of the young Indian talents yet.

"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 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 also acknowledged feeling "a bit rusty" after the first round. He elaborated, "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 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."