Picture Credit: X
Chess world champion D Gukesh had a disappointing day after getting eliminated from the Freestyle Grand Slam by USA’s Fabiano Caruana. This is the second consecutive quarter-final loss for the Indian Grandmaster, who was forced to give up after 18 moves in Game 2. Earlier, Gukesh lost the first game with white pieces, and failed to have a strong comeback in the second must-win game. With this loss, the young Indian Grandmaster will focus on competing for the spot in the last four.
Freestyle chess is played using the Chess960 format, in which the initial placements of the pieces on the back rank are randomised while the pawns remain in their usual positions. This format was first introduced by famed Grandmaster Bobby Fischer, to minimise the focus of opening preparation while encouraging imaginative play. Given the substantial financial backing for this format, it is regarded as a possible future of competitive chess.
D Gukesh resigns after 18 moves in Game 2 against Fabiano Caruana
For D Gukesh, the second quarter-final was an important match, but lost it in just 18 moves. With an accuracy of 85.6, Gukesh trailed behind Caruana, who achieved an impressive 97. Meanwhile, Gukesh reserved his spot in the fifth to eighth place classification spot. USA’s Fabiano Caruana, on the other hand, had a strong hold and secured semi-finals berth, where he will face Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov.
After the win, the world number two ranked player, Caruana said to Take Take Take, "It came down to yesterday. In the game today, he probably could have posed more problems for me, and he tried to sacrifice a pawn and create some imbalances, but it wasn't. He didn’t want to prolong the torture which I understand and his chances of winning the game were approximately zero.”
Apart from Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer successfully reached the semi-finals after winning their respective matches against Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Alireza Firouzja.
