Setback For D Gukesh Despite Completing Revenge Against King-Throwing Hikaru Nakamura
D Gukesh, who finished Day 1 as the leader of the standings in Clutch Chess: Champions showdown, slipped to the last spot on Day 2.
- Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Hikaru Nakamura in the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown on the first day
- Gukesh lost twice to Magnus Carlsen and once to Fabiano Caruana on the second day
- Gukesh finished the second day joint-last with Nakamura on 7 points in the standings
World champion Gukesh Dommaraju avenged his loss to Hikaru Nakamura in the Checkmate: USA vs India exhibition match, displaying a brilliant all-round game as he secured a well-deserved victory over the American grandmaster at the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown. In contrast to Nakamura, who had triggered a row with his king-throwing act in the Checkmate event, Gukesh calmly rearranged the board. Despite the win, however, the Indian GM has slipped to the last spot in the standings.
Gukesh endured a forgettable second day at the showdown. In round four, he fell to Magnus Carlsen in both encounters; then, in round five, he managed only draws against Hikaru Nakamura, the man he had defeated in the previous round.
Up against Fabiano Caruana, Gukesh was handed his third loss of the day, though the Indian salvaged a draw in the second game. He finished the day without a single victory.
Gukesh now languishes joint-last with Nakamura on 7 points. Carlsen is top of the standings with 11.5 points, while Caruana sits second on 10.5.
Fabiano Caruana defeated Magnus Carlsen 2–0 to climb from last place to a share of the lead with him. Fabi started Day 2 at the bottom of the standings but made a stunning comeback to reach the top, while Day 1 leader Gukesh slipped all the way down the table.#clutchchess… pic.twitter.com/Q3B0PCP7yd
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"I was just not able to be sharp today. I was taking a lot of time, which I shouldn't have. Forget what happened and come fresh tomorrow," Gukesh was quoted as saying by chess.com.
Carlsen, on the other hand, labelled his first win of the day against Gukesh as "the only good game that I played in this tournament."
"I mean, I would like to have a little bit more control in my games than I did today, but you know, I'll take the result, of course," Carlsen said.
The Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown offers a total prize fund of USD 412,000, with every game contested under a rapid time control of 10 minutes plus 5-second increments. The top four places will earn USD 120,000, USD 90,000, USD 70,000, and USD 60,000, respectively, while an additional USD 72,000 in bonus prizes will be distributed.