D Gukesh faces tough competition in Freestyle Chess Grand Slam opener

Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh faces tough competition at the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Germany as he navigates through a challenging opening day. The youngest-ever World Chess Champion started with a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov but suffered a loss to Alireza Firouzja in the second round. Despite a promising start against Levon Aronian, Gukesh ended up with another draw and narrowly avoided defeat against standout performer Javokhir Sindarov.

Sindarov, who replaced Viswanathan Anand in the tournament, emerged as the star of the day with an impressive 4.5/5 score, including a win over Magnus Carlsen. The Uzbek GM exceeded expectations and secured his place in the knockout stage alongside Fabiano Caruana, the joint-topper on the leaderboard after the opening day of action.

The tournament, following a Formula 1-style points system, will culminate in South Africa at the end of 2025. Before the classical knockout phase begins, the rapid round-robin event will determine the top eight players progressing further. Day 1 featured thrilling encounters, including a high-profile clash between Carlsen and Nakamura, with Carlsen showcasing his superior endgame skills to secure a win.

With three rounds left to determine the final two eliminations before the knockout phase, the competition remains intense. Stay tuned as the tournament continues on Saturday to see who will emerge victorious in the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.