Before this defeat, Gukesh had lost to Abhimanyu Mishra in Round 5 and Nikolas Theodorou in Round 6. The losing streak has left fans worried about his confidence and form. (Videograb)
World Chess Champion D Gukesh is going through a tough phase at the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament. On Thursday, the 19-year-old lost his third consecutive game, this time against 16-year-old Turkish Grandmaster Ediz Gurel in the seventh round, and after the defeat, D Gukesh almost broke down, and the disappointment was clearly seen on his face.
Before this defeat, Gukesh had lost to Abhimanyu Mishra in Round 5 and Nikolas Theodorou in Round 6. The losing streak has left fans worried about his confidence and form.
The defeat clearly stunned Gukesh. As the game ended, he put his hand on his head, visibly frustrated and shocked. He then lowered his head in disappointment before shaking hands with Gurel to accept defeat.
After the match, Gurel described the game as extremely difficult. “It was a crazy tough game,” he said. Gurel admitted he was excited to play the world champion.
“I was pretty happy to see the pairings. It’s always great to play the world champion, whether I lose or not. Yeah, he’s not doing so well in this tournament, but I believe he can pull things through. He’s a great player, a world champion!”
The clash was dramatic. Gurel made a mistake on move 27, and both players exchanged queens on move 29. But Gukesh slipped badly on move 40, which changed the course of the game. Soon after, he gave away a bishop in return for two pawns, handing Gurel a huge advantage.
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Reflecting on the game, Gurel said, “I actually blundered at some point, and I got very miserable because I didn’t see a move. I thought my position was very bad, but I just thought I had to give my best, maybe he will make a mistake. Luckily, it happened.”
Next, Gukesh will face Divya Deshmukh, the World Cup winner, in Round 8 on Friday. Divya has also had mixed results in the tournament so far. She has two wins, three draws, and two losses, collecting 3.5 points. Currently, she stands ahead of Gukesh in the points table.
Gukesh had started the tournament well with two wins and two draws. However, his form has dipped badly with three losses in a row. His upcoming game against Divya will be crucial in deciding whether he can bounce back in the tournament.
