Magnus Carlsen quickly made up for his first loss in chess in 802 days. Jan-Krzysztof Duda was beaten in the 6th round of Norway Chess.
The very next day, Carlsen fought back against the same opponent. With white pieces, he pushed Duda from the start and was finally able to take the victory when the Pole gave up in a very bad position.
“I wouldn’t have been happy with a draw. I can safely say that. I was very keen that today I would win almost regardless,” Carlsen told TV 2 after the game.
“Genius”
According to the chess computer, Carlsen had a 98% chance of winning when Duda resigned. However, he didn’t want too much praise for moves that the computer thought were “genius.”
“I don’t want to be called ‘genius’ for this. It is very difficult to see that I was objectively in a better position,” Carlsen said.
The corona pandemic has meant that this year’s Norway Chess only consists of six players. In addition to Carlsen, Norway is also represented by Aryan Tari.
The former junior world champion lost on Sunday to Alireza Firouzja. The Iranian won with black pieces.
Iranian super talent in the lead
After six rounds, 17-year-old Firouzja leads the standings. He has 13 points against Carlsen’s 12. Then Levon Aronian from Armenia follows another point behind in third place.
Tari is last with one and a half points. His one victory came against Duda.
On Monday, Carlsen will face his former World Championship opponent Fabiano Caruana. When they met for a duel last Thursday, Carlsen won with white pieces.
Norway Chess in Stavanger lasts until October 16.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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