Carlsen Holds the Lead as Caruana Stages a Stunning Comeback in St. Louis
Day two of the 2025 Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown in St. Louis brought all the drama you’d expect from a tournament featuring the world’s top grandmasters — Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. By the end of the day, it was still Carlsen sitting on top of the standings, but Caruana’s incredible resurgence was the real story everyone was talking about.
Carlsen, the world number one, had a rollercoaster of a day. He dominated early, winning both games in his matches against Gukesh and Nakamura, which kept him in first place even after dropping two consecutive games to Caruana. Those losses didn’t shake his position at the top, but they certainly showed that Caruana was back in fighting form after a rough start.
Also Read:- Against All Odds — The Remarkable Survival of Lauren Huxley
- Port Colborne on Alert as Police Hunt Suspect in Weapons Incident
Caruana, who had begun the day in last place, clawed his way all the way up to second by the end of the session. He was unstoppable in his games against Carlsen — the same opponent who had held him to just one draw the previous day despite several winning chances. This time, Caruana made no mistakes. He struck hard in both games, showcasing precise calculation and deep preparation. His confidence afterward was evident as he said, “It just went well in the match against Magnus — that was the main thing.”
Even Carlsen admitted that his opponent fully deserved those wins. He said, “Fabi could’ve beaten me twice yesterday and he very deservedly beat me twice today. I can only be happy that I managed to swindle a couple of other wins.”
Meanwhile, Nakamura and Gukesh had a much tougher day. Gukesh, who had led after the first round of games, dropped to the bottom after a string of three draws and three losses. The young world champion admitted he wasn’t sharp enough and said he planned to “forget what happened and come fresh tomorrow.” Nakamura, on the other hand, managed just one win and seemed to lose momentum as the day went on.
Carlsen’s own games were a mix of brilliance and chaos. He described his play as “better than yesterday,” but added that he wished for “a little more control.” Still, he finished strong with two wins over Nakamura, proving once again why he’s been at the top of the chess world for over a decade.
With one more day left and triple points up for grabs, the standings could flip completely. As Caruana put it, “It’s better to win one and lose one than to make two draws.” And that’s exactly the kind of high-stakes energy that’s keeping this showdown unpredictable — and thrilling to watch.
Read More:
0 Comments