Nakamura reclaims World no.2 again, Gukesh World no.13

D Gukesh keeps improving his game in various aspects. This might be his third Classical tournament, but he played like somehow who has been a World-Class elite level player for years. Why? Here are the statistics - Out of 15 games combining Classical and Armageddon, he has lost only two. Whom did he lose against? The eventual winner - Nakamura and World no.1 - Magnus Carlsen. Who are the players he beat? Alireza Firouzja (Classical), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Armageddon), Anish Giri (Armageddon), Fabiano Caruana (Armageddon) and Aryan Tari (Classical). Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen did not manage to register a single Classical victory in the tournament. He finished the event by running out of time in Armageddon and then signing on the clock. This performance undoubtedly cements Gukesh's place currently among the world's best and it goes without saying, he should be a common feature in the elite events going forward.

Hikaru Nakamura had the last laugh

Team Nakamura

Nakamura is back at World no.2, Gukesh World no.13 | Source: 2700chess.com
Gritty Gukesh on his third place finish | Video: ChessBase India

Nakamura - Caruana: 3-0

The Classical rated encounter between the Americans, Hikaru Nakamura (2775) and Fabiano Caruana (2764) was at Candidates in June 2022. Nakamura won it. The result was the same in the final round of 11th Norway Chess 2023 too.

Position after 17...f5?

17...f5? sacrificing the c5-pawn without any compensation turned out to be a not-so-good idea. 17...Nb4 is the common move which is recommended by computers and has been played in ten games found in Mega Database. Surprisingly Black won only once out of them and that also a 2232-rated player won against a 1930. It certainly begs the question - why did Caruana go for this after having such a great tournament and form since last month? Well, decisions are always correct, only in retrospect we find what could have been done differently. Black never got any compensation or counterplay for the pawn. Nakamura eventually went on to win the game with precise play.

Hikaru Nakamura won a must-win game
Dear YouTube, Two Men Enter, One Man Wins | Video: GMHikaru

Nakamura tweeted after his triumph

Magnus Carlsen (NOR) - Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB): 1-1.5

Wesley So (USA) - D Gukesh: 1-1.5

Gukesh tweeted on his fantastic performance

The maestro, Vishy Anand congratulated him

Anish Giri (NED) - Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE): 1.5-1

Aryan Tari (NOR) - Alireza Firouzja (FRA): 3-0

Photo Gallery

Talk to me knight

Hikaru Nakamura takes a selfie with a young fan

Hikaru Nakamura signs autographs for fans

A happy Nakamura

Round 9 in progress

D Gukesh has a lot of tricks up his sleeve

Highlights

Replay the Live Commentary of Round 9 by Amruta Mokal | Video: ChessBase India

Replay Round 9 games

Round 9 results

Carlsen - Abdusattorov: 1-1.5

So - Gukesh: 1-1.5

Nakamura - Caruana: 3-0

Giri - Mamedyarov: 1.5-1

Tari - Firouzja: 3-0

Final standings after Round 9

Hikaru Nakamura edged past Fabiano Caruana by beating him in the final round | Photo: Norway Chess

Schedule

Blitz Round 1 started on 29th May 2023 at 7 p.m. local time, 10:30 p.m. IST. 

Classical games were played from 30th May to 9th June 2023. Everyday game started at 5 p.m. local time, 8:30 p.m. IST. 2nd and 7th June were the rest days.

11th Norway Chess 2023 Classical games schedule | Photo: Norway Chess

Tie-break schedule | Photo: Norway Chess

Links

Official site

Tournament Regulations