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New Delhi: Magnus Carlsen rarely finds himself at the centre of controversy but Saturday’s events at the FIDE World Rapid Championship were a reminder that even the world’s best can boil over on a tough day. The World No.1 and five-time world rapid champion cut a visibly frustrated figure after suffering a surprise defeat to Russian Grandmaster Vladislav Artemiev.
Carlsen's Round 7 loss came as a jolt to the championship. He was playing with the black pieces; the Norwegian made an uncharacteristic error on move 15, a slip that Artemiev seized without hesitation. From there, the Russian controlled the game calmly and converted his advantage, moving to 6.5 points and pulling clear at the top of the standings.
The defeat clearly didn't go well with Carlsen. As he exited the playing hall, cameras followed him down the corridor. A video of the same has since gone viral, showing Carlsen pushing a cameraman aside in frustration as he stormed away, a rare public display of anger from the usually composed champion.
Carlsen had started the tournament strongly, finishing off Day 1 with an impressive 4.5 points from five rounds. However, Day 2 proved far more demanding in Round 6, he faced Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and opted for the Sicilian Defence. The position quickly became uncomfortable with Carlsen ending up with tripled pawns in the e-file and burning a lot of time on the clock. After prolonged pressure, the players settled for a draw.
The setback against Artemiev followed soon after but Carlsen showed resilience. He responded in Round 8 with a confident win over Armenian Grandmaster Shant Sargsyan. In the final game of the day, he pressed hard against American GM Ray Robson, enjoying a clear time advantage before securing another victory. That late surge lifted him to seven points, placing him in a four-player group still firmly in the hunt.
While attention focused on Charlsen, the women's section also delivered compelling chess. The defending champion Koneru Humpy continued her steady run, sharing the lead with China's Zhu Jiner on 6.5 points from eight games. A tight chase followed with ten players on six points, including India’s Dronavalli Harika.
In the Open category, Indian stars D. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi remained well placed as the tournament moved into its final stretch. With several rounds still to play, the championship remains wide open even if Carlsen’s outburst has become one of its defining moments so far.
