New Delhi: World Chess Champion D. Gukesh demonstrated that his preparations for the upcoming World Championship defence are well on course, securing a victory over his future title challenger Javokhir Sindarov in the fifth round before sharing the spoils with American Grandmaster Wesley So at the Super Rapid and Blitz event on the Grand Chess Tour.
The win over Sindarov, representing Uzbekistan, fetched Gukesh two points, while the subsequent draw against So added one more, taking his tally to six points with three rapid rounds remaining. The Indian champion now shares sixth position with Fabiano Caruana, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and will be looking to close the gap on the leaders in the rounds ahead, according to chess.com.
At the top of the standings, Wesley So and fellow American Hans Niemann are tied on nine points, with Vladimir Fedoseev a point adrift in third place.
The encounter between Gukesh and Sindarov carried added significance as it served as a preview of their scheduled World Championship meeting in December. Both players arrived at the fifth round on the back of defeats – Gukesh had lost to Radosław Wojtaszek, while Sindarov had been beaten by Wesley So.
The Indian champion wrapped up the win in 52 moves, claiming the first competitive victory over his future challenger. Although Sindarov had previously played down the importance of the pre-championship clash, his performance at the board indicated he felt the weight of facing the reigning world champion.
The Grand Chess Tour, an event founded by legendary former world champion Garry Kasparov, also features R. Praggnanandhaa as one of India’s leading hopes, following Gukesh’s withdrawal from the broader tour.
