Nakamura has often referred to the "Magnus effect" to describe opponents' apprehension when facing Carlsen. Carlsen held the world number one spot for 14 consecutive years and was a five-time world champion before relinquishing his title. The Japanese-American grandmaster even resigned a winning position against Carlsen at this year's Champions Chess Tour. At the ongoing Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb, Duda also drew a winning position against Carlsen.

However, Carlsen has met his match in Gukesh. He lost his last two games against the 19-year-old, one in classical chess and one in rapid. In both games, Carlsen held a winning advantage but ultimately lost, a rare occurrence, especially in consecutive games for the 34-year-old. "We are starting to see the Gukesh effect," Nakamura stated on his YouTube channel. "It’s starting to get to Carlsen."

Gukesh during his victory over Carlsen in round six of the rapid chess Grand Chess Tour at the Westin Zagreb Hotel, Zagreb, Croatia, 3/7/2025. Photo: *Chess*

Nakamura elaborated on the "Gukesh effect," explaining that Carlsen has begun "doubting himself and making mistakes." In the rapid game on July 3, Carlsen had a significant advantage with the bishop pair in the middlegame against Gukesh's two knights.

Among top players, the bishop pair generally provides a significant advantage over a bishop and knight or two knights. This is because if the game progresses to the endgame, bishops are typically stronger than knights. Endgames occur frequently in top-level matches. "If this was prime Carlsen, he’d win most of those games with the bishop pair," Nakamura added.

Across all chess formats, Carlsen still leads Gukesh with 7 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses. Therefore, many believe Gukesh's two consecutive victories don't necessarily mean his skill surpasses Carlsen's. Nakamura commented: "Two games isn’t a lot, but it shows Gukesh isn’t a pushover. Furthermore, he’s a perfect response to Carlsen’s pre-tournament statement that the 19-year-old was among the weakest in the field."

Gukesh’s scoring rate against Carlsen is currently 36%. Nakamura’s similar rate against Carlsen is 38%. Gukesh is on the rise, while Nakamura is 37 years old.

With 5 consecutive wins at the Grand Chess Tour, Gukesh jumped 13 places to 29th in the world rapid rankings, with an Elo of 2,681. This Elo is still far from Carlsen's (2,808). However, the Indian grandmaster has only recently focused on rapid chess.

31-year-old Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan noted Gukesh's adaptability to different chess formats is truly remarkable. "When Carlsen broke into the elite 15 years ago, it also took time for legends to acknowledge him," Srinath said. "Gukesh's progress will take time, but gradually fewer people will doubt him."

The final day of the rapid chess Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb will take place today, starting at 8:10 PM, Hanoi time. Gukesh will face Anish Giri, Ivan Saric, and Wesley So, respectively. Carlsen will play against Caruana, Abdusattorov, and Giri.

Xuan Binh