Overview

• On his C Squared Podcast, Caruana praised Gukesh, Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa as strong but said he can outplay them in long matches because they concede too many winning opportunities
• He pointed to veterans Levon Aronian and Hikaru Nakamura remaining competitive against younger rivals and argued that Magnus Carlsen is clearly stronger than the Indian prodigies
• During Norway Chess, Gukesh stunned Carlsen in Round 6—triggering an uncharacteristic table slam—before Caruana beat the Indian champion in the final round to secure second place and hand Carlsen the title
• Carlsen described the defeat as “so dumb and so unnecessary” and said it left him feeling “washed and useless” for days, prompting him to question why he continues in classical events
• Despite noting Gukesh’s strong results at the Budapest Olympiad, FIDE Candidates and Wijk aan Zee over the past 18 months, Caruana said the world champion is still not playing consistently at his best