Candidates winner D Gukesh on Monday said he was not too worried about Magnus Carlsen’s prediction before the start of the tournament, adding that Carlsen’s prediction did not affect him much.
Gukesh makes history
Grandmaster Gukesh defeated the eight-man field despite all odds, becoming the youngest challenger for the World Championship title. Gukesh defeated seasoned pros like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, and Hikaru Nakamura with 9 points out of a possible 14. D Gukesh, 17, claimed to have learned of the renowned Magnus Carlsen’s pre-tournament prophecy just two days prior to the tournament.
Carlsen’s prediction
Carlsen had predicted that none of the three qualifying Indians will have a chance of winning the Candidates. Carlsen, predicting Gukesh’s chances, said the 17-year-old “won’t do poorly, but I don’t think he will do too well either. I can see him anywhere from +2 to -5”.
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Proving Carlsen wrong
“I actually came to know about that a couple of days before the Candidates. Honestly, I didn’t care much about it. I think he gave an honest opinion. Obviously, I was not the favourite there. There were far more experienced players,” Gukesh said to India Today on Monday, April 22 from Toronto.
“Deep down, I already knew that if I was in my absolute best shape, and if I managed to stay calm and focused, I could win the tournament. Yeah, Magnus sharing his opinion did not really affect that belief in myself,” he added.
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