Chess World Reacts: Carlsen Praises Praggnanandhaa, Offers Cautious Take on Champion Gukesh

Magnus Carlsen, the world's top-ranked chess player, has offered a candid assessment of reigning world champion D. Gukesh, following the first day of the SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz 2025.

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

Magnus Carlsen and D. Gukesh during Norway Chess 2025.

In an interview with Take Take Take, Carlsen lauded R. Praggnanandhaa's achievements, while acknowledging Gukesh's improvement. However, he stated that he is not yet impressed by any of the young Indian chess prodigies.

"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, "Normally, you would think in such a format, Alireza would be very strong. He probably has not had the best start, but I'm sure he'll be there."

Regarding the World Champion, Carlsen noted, "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 himself admitted to feeling "rusty" after Round 1. "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."

He concluded, "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."