Media365
NEW DELHI: World champion D Gukesh on Wednesday had an unintentionally funny moment during the Norway Chess tournament that quickly caught fans’ attention online. In the middle of his tense Round 2 clash against Wesley So, the young Indian grandmaster appeared to need a quick water break. But things did not go as planned.Sitting deep in thought during the game, Gukesh reached for a bottle placed beside the board and tried opening it. After struggling with the cap for a few seconds and failing to get it open, the 19-year-old quietly gave up and placed the bottle back on the table, leading to a hilarious viral clip that spread rapidly across social media.Watch:The light-hearted moment came during an otherwise frustrating day for the reigning world champion.Gukesh had looked in control for large parts of his classical game against So, pressing hard across a marathon 116-move battle. The Indian prodigy seemed close to converting his advantage into a full win before So managed to escape with a draw.The game then moved into Armageddon, where So completely turned the tables. The American outplayed Gukesh in the tie-breaker to secure 1.5 points, while Gukesh had to settle for one point after a mentally draining encounter.The defeat visibly upset the Indian teenager, who struggled to hide his frustration during post-match broadcast duties. To make matters tougher, So later questioned whether Gukesh’s current rating accurately reflected his strength.Elsewhere, Alireza Firouzja continued his brilliant run by defeating R Praggnanandhaa despite battling an ankle injury and using crutches around the venue. Defending champion Magnus Carlsen also survived a scare against Germany’s Vincent Keymer before finally clinching his first victory of the tournament through Armageddon.READ ALSO: Norway Chess: Divya Deshmukh pips India No. 1 Koneru Humpy in Armageddon; no joy for Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa
