World Champion D Gukesh suffered his third consecutive defeat at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2024 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Thursday.
The 16-year-old Turkish Grandmaster Ediz Gurel defeated Gukesh in the seventh round.
Earlier, the Indian prodigy had lost to Abhimanyu Mishra of the USA and Nikolas Theodorou of Greece. Despite a rest day, Gukesh’s form dipped further as he committed a critical blunder, losing a bishop in the endgame.
With only three points from seven matches, Gukesh now faces the challenge of winning all remaining games to remain competitive, though his title hopes are already over.
Nihal Sarin Catches Tournament Leaders at FIDE Grand Swiss
In contrast, Indian GM Nihal Sarin surged into the joint lead by defeating overnight leader Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran. Sarin now shares the top spot with German GM Matthias Bluebaum, who overcame Arjun Erigaisi, both standing at 5.5 points.
Sarin showcased his best play so far, using the Queen’s pawn opening as white to gain control on both flanks. He capitalised on a calculation error by Maghsoodloo and sealed victory with a brilliant queen-and-knight combination.
Seven players are tied for second place with five points, including Vidit Gujrathi, Alireza Firouzja, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Hans Niemann, and Abhimanyu Mishra—all of whom secured wins in the seventh round.
R Praggnanandhaa also bounced back, defeating Israeli GM Maxim Rodshtein to move to 4.5 points. He now joins a group of 10 players at this score, which includes Arjun Erigaisi and Pranav Venkatesh.
Other notable results included Anish Giri drawing with Abhimanyu Mishra, Firouzja defeating Nodirbek Yakubboev, and Niemann winning against Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus.
Among Indians, V Pranav drew with Jordan Van Foreest, Abhimanyu Puranik split points with Levon Aronian, and P Harikrishna held Sanan Sjugirov to a draw.
Vaishali Takes Sole Lead in Women’s Section
In the women’s section, Vaishali Rameshbabu claimed sole leadership after defeating Chinese IM Guo Qi, registering her fifth win of the tournament. Defending her title strongly, Vaishali now stands as the top contender.
GM Divya Deshmukh also scored an important victory. Other key results included Antoaneta Stefanova drawing with Kateryna Lagno, Bibisara Assaubayeva defeating Irina Bulmaga, and Mariya Muzychuk overcoming Afruza Khamdamova.
Additional results saw Song Yuxin winning against Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Tan Zhongyi defeating Dinara Wagner, and Alexandra Kosteniuk holding Dronavalli Harika to a draw.
The stakes remain high as the top two finishers in both the open and women’s sections will qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which decides the challenger for the next World Championship match.
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