NEW DELHI: Since turning into the youngest-ever international chess champion on the age of 18 remaining 12 months, Grandmaster (GM) Gukesh Dommaraju has been at the receiving finish of numerous potshots, now not simply from the previous champions but additionally from those that have handiest controlled to carry the name of their desires to this point.The most recent to enroll in that refrain used to be Uzbekistan No. 1 GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who stirred the pot forward of the Grand Swiss together with his “unpopular chess opinion”: “Gukesh will lose his name within the subsequent fit. Is that arguable?”5-time international champion GM Viswanathan Anand used to be fast to protect the 19-year-old, brushing apart Abdusattorov’s jab with a grin: “Recognize to those boys. They know the way to make content material. He’s so blameless, no? Is that arguable? No, it’s excellent a laugh. That’s how the sport is performed nowadays.”However Samarkand had its personal fact take a look at in retailer.Gukesh, below no compulsion to play the Grand Swiss as reigning international champion, nonetheless threw himself into the combo to check his mettle in opposition to the elite, therefore opening the run of video games with two wins and two attracts.On the other hand, Monday delivered the shocker: a fifth-round defeat to 16-year-old American prodigy GM Abhimanyu Mishra, arguably essentially the most scathing blow but of Gukesh’s reign as international champion.Mishra, born in New Jersey to Indian folks, had already carved his position in historical past because the youngest-ever to earn the GM name at 12 years and 4 months. With this win, he set every other file, turning into the youngest to defeat a reigning international champion in classical chess, eclipsing Gata Kamsky’s 1992 mark at 18, when he beat Garry Kasparov.With Abhimanyu enjoying the whites, the sport itself started innocuously sufficient because the king’s pawn opening instructed into the Giuoco Pianissimo.The primary primary jolt got here with Abhimanyu’s 12. dxe5, and then Gukesh invested 21 mins ahead of launching the deadly 12…g4 push.“He went with h5, and once I performed d4, I noticed this concept of going dxe5. He used to be nonetheless in preparation, and I wasn’t positive whether or not I must do it. However I made up our minds, whether or not it’s Gukesh, the arena champion, or any one else, if I feel a flow is easiest, I’m going to play it. So I went for the dxe5 piece sacrifice,” Mishra defined after the sport.“As an alternative of giving up the piece (pawn on e5), I used to be additionally making an allowance for concepts like Bh4, then if Black is going Qd7, I may play Nd4. In comparison to the sport, which additionally helps to keep an edge. So I used to be debating: must I opt for exd6, which is principally all or not anything, or take the more secure direction with a nice place? After all, I selected 13.exd6. I believed, let’s have some a laugh lately.”
A few strikes later, his pawn on c7, completed thru 14.dxc7, quickly paralysed Black’s items.Whilst the placement swung dramatically, Mishra admitted to “panicking” after overestimating Gukesh’s counterplay. His 20. Nd4 passed the arena champion some way again into the sport.
“He discovered this concept with 19…Kd7, which I feel used to be nearly great. I form of panicked… Possibly I overvalued it. Later, I thought to be b4, and that regarded relatively excellent; if he is going Kc8, I am going a4, b5, and shortly he most definitely has to surrender. However as a substitute, I went Kd4, and that used to be only a terrible resolution. I spent round 10 mins on it. Truthfully, it’s inexplicable,” he additional added.Having misplaced his early benefit, Mishra unfolded at the middle-game: “This era used to be irritating as a result of I knew I’d blown my place. I used to be simply looking to by some means stay up the drive.”
Abhimanyu slipped once more with 32. Rff7, providing Gukesh a recent probability to claw again. However after 36…Ne2+, Mishra’s exact rook play and the relentless march of his g-pawn from flow 37 sealed the champion’s destiny, forcing Gukesh to surrender in a 61-move sport that virtually touched the six-hour mark.“After all, I knew I used to be successful, however from there I simply noticed it until absolutely the finish. My rook used to be optimally positioned, so there have been not more tips. He resigned,” Mishra recalled.ALSO READ: Ancient chess victory! How Divya Deshmukh beat higher-ranked Africa No. 1 Bassem Amin at FIDE Grand SwissFor Gukesh, the loss is symbolic, together with his air of mystery of invincibility cracked additional.For Mishra, it’s every other milestone of his quick, storied chess occupation as he concluded, “That is going higher than I can have perhaps imagined. I’m gaining round 20 issues already. If I stay up this way, I’ve an excessively actual probability of successful the match. All the way through the sport, I by no means felt like I used to be truly not so good as those avid gamers. I feel I’m at par with even the highest of the highest.”