India’s world champion, Gukesh Domaraj, aimed for a strong comeback in Bucharest after a lackluster freestyle performance earlier in North Germany and Paris this spring. Unfortunately, the 18-year-old faced setbacks, falling to two French competitors, Maxim Vatierra Grabs. In this competition, he scored a notable win with 44 moves against Levon Aronian from the US, but also had a tough time against Alireza Firouzja in another match that lasted 69 moves.
Currently, Gukesh has slipped from 3rd to 5th in the FIDE world rankings and stands seventh in the Bucharest tournament with one win, five draws, and two losses. Just before this, he was tied for a moment, but he is looking toward the 9th and final round on Friday, starting at 12:30 pm BST.
The Bucharest event is part of the European leg of the Grand Slam, backed by billionaire Rex Sinquefield from St. Louis. Coming with a total prize pool of $350,000, the winner will walk away with $100,000.
During the tournament, Garry Kasparov, the 13th world champion, made the ceremonial first move, reflecting on the changes in the game over the years. He noted the shift in focus from beauty and analysis to a more practical approach—indicating a trade-off that comes with progress.
Leading the Bucharest field is Praggnanandhaa Raameshbabu, with five points from eight matches played. Gukesh’s fellow Indian competitors have also fared well this year, particularly following their triumph at Tata Steel earlier.
The notable moment in Round 4 was the match between Vachier-Lagrave and Gukesh, where the French player advanced a pawn to H6, which is a modern strategy aimed at weakening Black’s defenses. Analyzing the game with a program like Alphazero shows the potential long-term risks this move introduces for Black.
While Gukesh started at an even level in this match, there’s a consensus that Vachier-Lagrave gained the upper hand after a specific move sequence. Gukesh later attempted to recover but found himself in a precarious position as Vachier-Lagrave tightened his hold.
In the fifth round, Gukesh managed to salvage a draw against Jan Krzysztof Duda, who overstepped in the endgame, allowing Gukesh to escape with checks that forced a stalemate.
In round six, Firouzja surged ahead in the mid-game, and there was speculation he might have missed a simpler victory. Gukesh managed a draw, demonstrating resilience despite a challenging position.
Finally, in round seven, Gukesh secured a full point—capitalizing on some careless play from Aronian. However, concerns remain about Gukesh’s current form, especially with an impending match against reigning champion Magnus Carlsen in Stavanger.
With expectations high for the world champion, it’s worth noting that among the titleholders, only a few, like Lasker and Karpov, visibly elevated their games during their reigns. Others have struggled with the weight of the title, and Gukesh may be perceived similarly by his rivals.
In more somber news, Vlastimil Hort, a prominent grandmaster from the 1970s and 1980s, passed away recently at the age of 81. He was remembered fondly for his sportsmanship, especially during a candidate match where he selflessly offered one of his timeouts to Boris Spassky during a health crisis.
Overall, the tournament continues to reveal both the challenges and intricacies of high-level chess.
