Gukesh Strikes Back on 19th Birthday Defeating Hikaru Nakamura in Norway Chess

World chess champion D Gukesh marked his 19th birthday with a comeback victory against world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura during the Norway Chess Tournament. Gukesh, recovering from consecutive losses to Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigaisi, capitalized on time pressure to defeat Nakamura in 42 moves, capturing three points.

In the women's competition, Koneru Humpy emerged as a joint leader alongside Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk after winning against Iranian-Spanish player Sara Khadem. Meanwhile, Ju Wenjun secured a victory over R Vaishali in the Armageddon tie-break, further intensifying the competition on the third day.

Fabiano Caruana took the lead in the open division after defeating Arjun Erigaisi, despite the latter's initial optimism. With classical wins stacking up, Caruana reclaimed his world No. 3 live rating. As the tournament progresses, players remain hopeful, with Gukesh and Humpy standing out in their respective categories.

(With inputs from agencies.)