World Champion D Gukesh Struggles at Weissenhaus: Zero Wins, 11 Draws, and Six Defeats

The reigning world chess champion, D Gukesh, faced a tough challenge at the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge in Weissenhaus, ending the tournament winless with zero wins, 11 draws, and six defeats. This disappointing performance comes a year after his predecessor, Ding Liren, also struggled and finished last in the same event.

Despite not finishing in last place like Ding did the previous year, Gukesh’s performance was far from satisfactory. The young champion had a tough run in the rapid format, with two defeats and seven draws in the round-robin games. He then faced defeats in the classical time control games against Fabiano Caruana before drawing against Hikaru Nakamura in the quarters.

In the end, Gukesh had to settle for seventh place after losing to Alireza Firouzja in the rapid tiebreaks. Vincent Keymer emerged as the winner of the event, defeating top players like Firouzja, Magnus Carlsen, and Caruana along the way.

Gukesh’s game against Firouzja showcased his struggles, with the Iranian player dominating the board early on. Despite a valiant effort to attack his opponent’s king, Gukesh ultimately succumbed to defeat on the 30th move.

Overall, it was a challenging tournament for Gukesh, but he will have to regroup and learn from this experience as he continues his chess journey.