New Delhi: Reigning world champion D Gukesh began his campaign at the Prague International Chess Festival on Thursday with a hard-fought draw against American Grandmaster Hans Niemann in the Masters section.
Gukesh faced early pressure in the middle game. Niemann adopted the Berlin Defence and sacrificed a piece on move 13 to seize the initiative. The bold strategy forced the Indian star to defend carefully despite having the white pieces.
Niemann built pressure with active play and extra pawns in compensation for the sacrificed knight. Gukesh remained composed and gradually neutralised the attack. The game eventually ended in a draw after tense exchanges, according to chess.com.
The Gukesh-Niemann game was the only draw in the 10-player, nine-round Masters tournament. All other games in the opening round produced decisive results, with players holding the white pieces scoring victories.
Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram suffered a setback against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Aravindh opted for the Philidor Defence but lost a pawn in the endgame. Abdusattorov converted his advantage in a rook and minor piece ending.
Top seed Vincent Keymer also stumbled. The German lost to the Netherlands’ Jorden van Foreest, who introduced a fresh idea in another Berlin Defence. Van Foreest gained a strong position out of the opening and secured a convincing win.
In the Challengers section, women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh drew with Hungary’s Benjamin Gledura despite holding a promising position. Veteran Indian Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly lost to the Netherlands’ Thomas Beerdsen.
The opening round has set up an intense battle in Prague. All eyes remain on Gukesh as the world champion aims to build momentum in the coming rounds.
