In chess circles, there’s a casual membership, whose membership swells by slightly annually. It’s referred to as the Mikhail Chigorin Membership, named after the Soviet Union participant who dueled in two World Championship matches towards Wilhelm Steinitz however sadly misplaced each occasions. Membership of the the Mikhail Chigorin Membership might be gained by defeating a reigning world champion in a classical chess recreation.
On the FIDE Grand Swiss match in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand, three gamers have already entered the membership, with Ediz Gurel turning into the most recent addition after taking down world champion Gukesh Dommaraju in spherical 7. Earlier, Abhimanyu Mishra and Nikolas Theodorou had additionally joined the membership.
Even after a relaxation day on the FIDE Grand Swiss match on Wednesday, there was no change in teenage world champion Gukesh’s fortunes. He misplaced his third recreation in a row, this time to Ediz Gurel, a teenage prodigy from Turkey. The boy from Chennai who final 12 months grew to become the youngest world champion in chess historical past on the age of 18, has been troubled by even youthful grandmasters on the Grand Swiss match in Samarkand.
It’s been lower than a 12 months that Gukesh has been anointed the king of the game of 64 squares, nevertheless it’s already beginning to really feel as if he has a goal on his again. And people attempting to take the 19-year-old down are getting youthful and youthful. To this point at Grand Swiss, he has been held to a draw by 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, handed a defeat by 16-year-old American GM Abhimanyu Mishra, and has now misplaced to a different 16-year-old from Turkey, Ediz Gurel. He additionally performed out a draw towards Arjun Erigaisi. He additionally misplaced to Greek grandmaster Nikolas Theodorou in between the defeats to Mishra and Gurel.
On Friday, in spherical 8, Gukesh will face compatriot Divya Deshmukh, who has made the daring resolution to compete within the open part of the Grand Swiss somewhat than within the girls’s part. Divya has already certified for the Girls’s Candidates match, having received the Girls’s FIDE World Cup in July.
“It was a loopy robust recreation,” mentioned Gurel to FIDE in an interview after his win over Gukesh.
Requested about assembly the world champion in a classical conflict, Gurel mentioned: “I used to be fairly glad to see the pairings. It’s all the time nice to play the world champion, whether or not I lose or not. yeah, he’s not doing so nicely on this match, however I consider he can simply pull issues via. He’s an awesome participant, a world champion!”
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Gukesh Dommaraju reacts in the course of the defeat to Nikolas Theodorou of Greece at FIDE Grand Swiss chess match. (PHOTO: Michal Walusza / FIDE)
On Thursday, Gukesh held the higher hand after a blunder from Gurel on transfer 27 and the queens getting exchanged on transfer 29. However on transfer 40, proper when he crossed the time management threshold, Gukesh made a blunder himself that tipped the scales. Two strikes later, Gukesh gave away a bishop in alternate for 2 pawns, which proved an excessive amount of of a bonus to defend towards in the long run recreation.
I really blundered in some unspecified time in the future and I bought very depressing as a result of I didn’t see a transfer. I assumed my place was very dangerous however I simply thought I needed to give my finest, possibly he’ll make a mistake. Fortunately, it occurred
“I really blundered in some unspecified time in the future and I bought very depressing as a result of I didn’t see a transfer. I assumed my place was very dangerous however I simply thought I needed to give my finest, possibly he’ll make a mistake. Fortunately, it occurred,” Gurel mentioned.
INTERACTIVE: How Gukesh misplaced to Ediz Gurel
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All of the strikes from Gukesh’s loss to Ediz Gurel
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. c4 e6 6. Nc3 Ne7 7. Nge2 Nd7 8. Ng3 Bg6 9. Bg5 Qb6 10. Rc1 f6 11. exf6 gxf6 12. Be3 Qxb2 13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. Bd3 Bb4+ 16. Kf1 Bxd3+ 17. Qxd3 O-O-O 18. Rb1 Qa3 19. Rb3 Qa4 20. Kg1 Bd6 21. Nf5 Bc7 22. g3 Nb6 23. Kg2 Nc4 24. Rhb1 b6 25. a3 Rde8 26. Bh6 Re4 27. Qd1 Na5 28. Rf3 Qxd1 29. Rxd1 Rh7 30. Bg7 Re6 31. Bf8 Nc4 32. Ng7 Re2 33. Kf1 Rd2 34. Re1 Rxd4 35. Rxf6 c5 36. Rf5 Nd2+ 37. Kg2 Ne4 38. Nxh5 c4 39. Nf6 Nxf6 40. Rxf6 Rd3 41. h5 Bd8 42. Rf5 c3 43. h6 d4 44. Rc1 Rd2 45. Kf1 Be7 46. g4 Bxa3 47. Bxa3 Rxh6 48. g5 Rg6 49. Kg2 Rg7 50. Bd6 a5 51. Bf4 Rd3 52. Rb1
The match resides as much as its status for being treacherous to established hierarchy. Arjun Erigaisi, who, like Gukesh, was additionally a pre-tournament favorite, was handed a defeat by German grandmaster Matthias Bluebaum, who is strictly a 100 scores factors under the Indian. Arjun blundered away a chunk within the recreation. Due to the victory, Bluebaum rose to the highest of the standings, the place he joined Nihal. Bluebaum additionally defeated Praggnanandhaa earlier within the match.
Praggnanandhaa, who has been in red-hot type in 2025, additionally received his recreation on Thursday towards Maxim Rodshtein, thus staying only one level behind the match leaders, with 4 rounds left. Vidit Gujrathi, the defending champion on the occasion, can also be within the race, staying simply half some extent behind Nihal after successful his spherical 7 recreation.