‘Before the game, Arjun and I even joked…’: D Gukesh on secret behind Global Chess League win vs Caruana
D Gukesh defeated Fabiano Caruana on Thursday, and Arjun Erigaisi beat Anish Giri.
D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi bagged their first wins of the ongoing Global Chess League on Thursday, beating Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri in their respective games. The pair were in poor form in the earlier rounds as Gukesh lost to Alireza Firouzja and Viswanathan Anand. Meanwhile, the reigning world champion was held to draws by Hikaru Nakamura and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on the Icon board. Meanwhile, Erigaisi drew to Vladislav Artemiev, Wei Yi and Vincent Keymer. The India No. 1 also lost to Wesley So.
The Alaskan Knights had other winners too, as Leinier Dominguez Perez beat R Praggnanandhaa. Kateryna Lagno sealed a win against Hou Yifan.
Also Read: ‘Disappointed’: Vincent Keymer rues missing out on Candidates spot, opens up on working with D Gukesh
After the win, Gukesh revealed how he overcame his earlier poor results in the competition. The team took a walk down the Marine Drive to calm their nerves.
Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, "After a tough day, it was nice to just forget about chess for a while. We went out together as a team and reminded ourselves that we win and lose as a group. We spoke about different things, relaxed, and I genuinely had a lot of fun."
"It’s a very special feeling to get my first win. From the start, we felt we were in control, but towards the end, a few things became tricky. When I looked at the other boards, I felt from the start that Lagno and Arjun were going to win, though I didn’t expect Daniel Dardha to lose. Dominguez’s game seemed about evenly poised, so I knew I had to push for a win. By then, I already had good chances, and my opponent was running low on time."
"The cheering from fans today (before and after the match) was incredibly loud — louder than any other day so far. Seeing so many kids in the crowd really motivated me. I felt I couldn’t afford to play below my level. A lot of coaches had come with their students from different academies. Before the game, Arjun and I even joked that since so many people were here, it was time to start winning," he added.
