Just days after Magnus Carlsen called him "one of the presumably weaker players," India's teenage chess star D. Gukesh hit back in the best possible way—on the board. The 18-year-old defeated the world No. 1 with the Black pieces in round six of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia tournament on Thursday.

This victory marked his second consecutive win over Carlsen and pushed him to the top of the standings with 10 points from six rounds.

A calm and clinical performance

Unlike their tense encounter at Norway Chess last month, this time there was no visible frustration from Carlsen. Still, the result remained the same. Gukesh, composed and sharp, forced the Norwegian to resign after 49 moves in a rapid game.

Carlsen started strong with the English Opening and seemed better after 18...Nh5 19.Bf2!. But Gukesh remained composed and struck back with the aggressive 26...d5. Carlsen's position weakened, and as his clock dipped below a minute, he couldn't recover. He eventually resigned.

A pointed remark and a powerful answer

Carlsen’s earlier remarks about Gukesh being among the "presumably weaker players" had drawn attention, especially given their recent history. However, Gukesh’s win on Thursday proved otherwise. He played confidently and showed that he now belongs at the top level.

Chess legend Garry Kasparov praised the young Indian’s display. “Now we can question Magnus’ domination,” he said. “This isn’t just another loss. It’s a convincing one. Gukesh didn’t just capitalise on mistakes—he played better.”

Bouncing back after early setback

Gukesh started the day with a loss to Jan-Krzysztof Duda but quickly recovered. He defeated Alireza Firouzja, fellow Indian talent R Praggnanandhaa, and then Carlsen—all in one day.

“I wasn’t too disheartened after the first-round loss,” Gukesh said later. “Duda got a good position and played well.”

Carlsen struggles to keep up

Carlsen’s performance was mixed. He won a tough game against Wesley So but only managed draws against Ivan Saric and Duda. With Gukesh ahead by four points going into the final rapid round, the pressure is now on the world No. 1.

In the Grand Chess Tour format, each rapid win gives two points, while the upcoming blitz games offer one point per win.

Others who impressed

Wesley So also had a busy day, winning against Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri. However, it was Gukesh who stood out most.

By the end of day two in the rapid section, Gukesh had scored 10 out of 12 points—clearly leading the pack. With this momentum, he’s no longer just a rising star. He’s now a serious contender.