Michael Phelps, Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen have one thing in common. They are formidable, towering competition and if you have any shred of ego in you, once you face any of these three, you will regret it. Even in interviews, these men do not like to lose, they answer with an unprecedented sharpness that unnerves the viewers but also serves as a realization as to why these men have been at the top of their game. Bobby Fischer was outrageously egotistical in the exact number 9 Martian energy, numerologically speaking but he lived up to whatever he claimed, so while it never became acceptable as a norm, Bobby managed to get away with it, barring his later years.
Gukesh must have found out the formidability of his competitor Magnus who brutally crushed him in 49 moves and advanced without the slightest difficulty and if he gets a draw in the next meeting, he will advance smoothly to the semis as well. R Pragnandhaa was punished for similar oversights by his equal Arjun Erigaisi, although he has well achieved the rising star status in India, getting compared to Vishwanathan Anand himself. 109 moves later Vidit Gujrathi drew against Nijit Abasov himself. This is the first time India has had 4 players in the FIDE Cup at the same time but the medals elude us since Anand snatched them through his razor sharp moves in the early 2000s.
Uncharacteristically, Magnus has admitted to liking Gukesh and his teammates, something you would never expect Bobby Fischer to do, for it was hard to look beyond the explosive personality he was but it still doesn’t change the fact that both men loved being winners and then retaining those hard earned tags.
One thing is for sure, this is earning a place in history.