Just like on the first day, Gukesh was also fortunate to not have more losses to his name. He should've lost the sixth-round match against Fabiano Caruana, too, with the American gaining complete control during the endgame and having a completely winning position, only for one blunder to allow Gukesh to escape with a series of checks.

D Gukesh ends the opening day of the Weissenhaus tournament tied on 2 points with Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Vincent Keymer after collecting four draws along with a defeat. Fabiano Caruana and Javokhir Sindarov end the day occupying the top two slots.

World Champion D Gukesh qualified for the knockout stage in the first event of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour, despite losing to the world’s highest-rated player, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, in the ninth and final round of the qualifiers.

World No.1 Magnus Carlsen spoke about playing against world champion D Gukesh and his preparation ahead of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour that starts in Germany with the first leg form 7-14 February.

This isn't just another chess tournament though, with a public spat between Carlsen and the promoters of the FCGT with FIDE in the build-up to the tournament.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER On Friday, Magnus Carlsen begins his quest to grow the popularity of an alternative chess variant and win the tournament itself.

Magnus Carlsen questioned the validity of classical chess as a measure of skill, favoring rapid chess. Gukesh acknowledged the quality of their championship match, while Carlsen ruled out a title clash.