Gukesh Eliminated from Freestyle Chess Tournament in Quarterfinals

World champion Dommaraju Gukesh’s journey in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Weissenhaus, Germany came to an end in the quarterfinals. The 18-year-old Indian grandmaster lost to world No. 2 Fabiano Caruana in a two-game match.

After dropping the first game yesterday, Gukesh needed a win in game two to stay alive. However, Caruana’s strong opening with the white pieces left Gukesh in a difficult position, forcing an early resignation and eliminating him from title contention.

While out of the main event, Gukesh will continue competing in placement matches for 5th-8th place. These matches offer significant prize money and ranking points, with 5th place earning $50,000 and 10 points, while 8th receives $10,000 and 4 points.

The quarterfinal featured a randomized starting position, with knights on a1 and d1, rooks on b1 and h1, the king on c1, queen on e1, and bishops on f1 and g1. Gukesh, playing black, deviated early but found himself a pawn down as Caruana controlled the center. Despite castling on move 13, Gukesh was already in a disadvantageous position.

By move 17, it became clear Gukesh’s chances for a needed win were slim. After Caruana castled on the next move, Gukesh resigned, conceding the match 0-2.

This early exit continues a challenging period for the young world champion. Following a close loss to R Praggnanandhaa in the Tata Steel Chess tournament final, Gukesh has struggled to adapt to the freestyle format, which eliminates pre-game preparation – one of his strengths.

In his next match, Gukesh will face either Hikaru Nakamura or Jakovhir Sindarov, depending on the outcome of their quarterfinal.

Quarterfinal Results (Game 2):

• D Gukesh 0-2 Fabiano Caruana
• Magnus Carlsen vs Nodirbek Abdusattorov (in progress, 1-0)
• Alireza Firouzja vs Vincent Keymer (in progress, 0-1)
• Jakovhir Sindarov vs Hikaru Nakamura (in progress, 0.5-0.5)