D Gukesh celebrates his 19th birthday with victory over World No. 2

World Champion D Gukesh defeated World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura to win his first Norway Chess game. The win was extra special for the Indian GM as it came on the day he turned 19.

After losing the first two rounds to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, the pressure was on Gukesh as he faced the American star in round three in Stavanger.

Gukesh played with white pieces for the first time in the event and he looked solid from the start.

Both players were aggressive in their attempt to control the centre, and after the rooks were traded off, Gukesh found a secure square for his knight on c6, which stuck like a thorn in Nakamura's shoes.

Gukesh had struggled to make the right moves in the endgame in the first two rounds, but he was precise in the final lap against Nakamura, swinging his queen with liberty and forcing a resignation on the move 42.

Meanwhile, Fabiano Caruana moved into the sole lead on 6 points after a solid win over Arjun Erigaisi. The biggest upset was Wei Yi beating Carlsen in an armageddon tie-breaker to get his campaign up and running. It was the Chinese GM's first victory over the World No. 1 in any format.

In round four later today, Gukesh will play white against Caruana, while Carlsen and Erigaisi will clash on the top board.