India, May 26 -- D Gukesh is six months removed from when he lifted the FIDE World Championship title, but it has taken that long for him to return to competitive classical chess action. It couldn't be a sterner test that awaits him in his first game since beating Ding Liren in that historic game 14 in Singapore, as he runs into the behemoth that is Magnus Carlsen, at the greatest of all time's home tournament at Norway Chess in Stavanger.

Gukesh became the youngest world champion when he won in Singapore, and is considered one of the finest talents, especially in the classical format where his calculation abilities really come in to play. However, Carlsen is a historically dominant player, and is widely considered to still be the best p...