D Gukesh proves Carlsen wrong again, pulls off great escape against Nodirbek

D Gukesh has once again proven Magnus Carlsen wrong with his never-say-die attitude. The India No. 1 pulled off a Houdini act to draw his round 6 game of the Tata Steel Masters against Uzbek star Nodirbek Abdusattorov from the brink of a first defeat since becoming World Chess Champion in December.

While the game reinforced Gukesh's stature as one of the best chess players in the world, it also debunked Carlsen's perception of the young Indian's rightful claim to be regarded as a master tactician. Carlsen is a hard man to please when it comes to chess.

Nodirbek dominated his game against Gukesh almost until the end, until move 59, to be precise, when he made an average rook move to open a window of opportunity for the world champion to escape. Gukesh discovered the faintest of chances to secure a draw by repetition, which had seemed improbable.

Midway into the game, Carlsen appeared on the live stream on chessdotcom hosted by IM Tania Sachdev and John Sargent. The World No. 1, who recently married his girlfriend Ella Malone, is not competing in the Tata Steel Masters. Carlsen was mighty impressed by Nordirbek. The Norwegian was also quite harsh on Gukesh for his relatively passive play.

"Gukesh's strategy has been a spectacular failure," Carlsen said while analysing the game. "Nodirbek has been relentless," he pointed out at one stage.

Carlsen, meanwhile, lavished praises on the 21-year-old Uzbek star, labelling him 'an incredible calculator'. When asked to compare the style of the two, Carlsen said: "Nodirbek's style is a little bluffy. Very practical. I don't think Gukesh bluffs that much. I think he is very optimistic and tries to play correct chess."

Carlsen has often appreciated players with a flair and ruthless style, like Nodirbek. He famously ruled out Gukesh's chances of winning the World Chess Championship midway into the 18-year-old's match against China's Ding Liren.

IM Sachdev prodded Carlsen to know his views on a potential World Chess Championship match between Gukesh and Nodirbek. The notion behind that question is that chess fans have been debating the likelihood of Nodirbek emerging as the challenger for Gukesh, who will defend his world title next year. "Maybe I'm stuck in the past. But overall, a couple of the older guys are still slightly better. But of course, they (Gukesh and Nodirbek) both have a tremendous future. Gukesh has the advantage of already being the world champion," Carlsen said with a smirk.­