Gukesh’s Streak of Misfortune Continues at Prague International Chess Festival as Abdusattorov Claims Victory

D Gukesh’s Heartbreak Continues at Prague International Chess Festival

Prague, Czech Republic – The fortunes of World Champion D Gukesh took another downturn as he suffered his fifth consecutive defeat at the Prague International Chess Festival, falling to his nemesis Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Just a month after a similar blunder at the Tata Steel Masters, Gukesh’s latest loss was particularly painful, as he appeared to be on the brink of victory for much of the match.

Employing a fresh strategy as Black, Gukesh initially dominated the board, putting pressure on Abdusattorov’s king and creating significant weaknesses. Analysts noted that Gukesh was closing in on his first victory in the Masters section of the tournament, with computer evaluations suggesting a favorable outcome.

However, as the clock ticked down, Gukesh faltered in the critical closing stages of the first time-control. Abdusattorov seized the opportunity, and despite nearly returning the favor with a blunder of his own, luck was not on Gukesh’s side this time. A final misstep allowed Abdusattorov to advance his pawn and secure the win.

While Gukesh’s struggles continued, Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest surged ahead, climbing to the 11th spot in the world rankings after his fourth victory in five games. Van Foreest’s latest triumph came at the expense of American player Hans Moke Niemann, whose single error proved costly.

The day’s matches were all decisive in the 10-player round-robin tournament. Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram faced his third defeat, allowing Spain’s David Anton Guijarro to celebrate a much-needed victory before the tournament’s lone rest day.

Local favorite David Navara showcased his skill, grinding out a hard-fought win against Uzbek player Nodirbek Yakubboev, which many are calling the game of the day. Meanwhile, Iranian Parham Maghsoodloo triumphed over Germany’s Vincent Keymer.

As the tournament progresses, Van Foreest leads with four points, closely followed by Abdusattorov and Navara, who are just half a point behind. Guijarro occupies the fourth spot with three points, while Maghsoodloo trails slightly with 2.5 points. Gukesh, along with Aravindh and Niemann, finds himself at the bottom of the standings with just 1.5 points.

In the challengers’ section, World Women’s Cup winner Divya Deshmukh celebrated her first victory, defeating fellow Indian Surya Shekhar Ganguly to reach a 50% score. Czech player Finek Vanclav continues to lead this section with four points.

As the tournament unfolds, all eyes will be on Gukesh to see if he can turn his fortunes around in the coming rounds.