The Comeback kid
Gukesh was in big trouble against Magnus and Erigaisi, but with his Houdini-like skills, he managed to escape the jaws of death, turning the game around and getting the full point. The question is, has his luck run out? Certainly this is not just some random luck, but I am not sure even Houdini can escape against Hikaru, or Magnus did in the Armageddon yesterday, but in an equal position, giving Magnus the win.
Hikaru will probably go for a win today, but forcing a draw and taking it to the Armageddon is a cynical but valid strategy if Hikaru fears the World Champion's amazing calculation skills in classical chess. Hikaru is definitely the favorite in blitz, and Gukesh needs to hurry up if he wants to catch Caruana, giving him the incentive to go for the win with the black pieces.
I think we will see a dogfight today, if not in the classical game, certainly in the Armageddon!
Aggression or draw in mind?
Best by test, according to Bobby Fischer, Hikaru gives Gukesh the chance to play aggressively with a Sicilian defense or solidly with his king's pawn.
Solid it is!
Gukesh is solid today; are we going to see another Berlin, or does Hikaru have a surprise in store for us?
Like usual
No surprise, the knight belongs on f3.
You attack; I defend.
Gukesh defends the pawn. All normal.
The scotch
Surprisingly, Hikaru goes for the Scotch, perhaps hoping to trap Gukesh in an opening preparation.
A choice
Hikaru now has a choice between the normal scotch or the very popular "beginner" opening, the Scotch Gambit moving the bishop out.
Capture?
Taking the knight would only help Hikaru's queen to a strong square. Moving the bishop or knight is instead the way to go.
Simple, Solid
Gukesh chooses the solid approach today. Still, Hikaru has the chance to go for an unbalanced position by first trading a knight and then pushing his central pawn.
Oh no! the dreaded 4 Knight's Scotch, perhaps the most drawish line in all of chess, at least for Black. In just a few moves, Hikaru can trade off half the pieces, making the position very drawish.
Pinning the knight
Gukesh pins the knight, forcing Hikaru to react if he doesn't want to lose a pawn.
Forced exchange
The best move, Next Hikaru will defend the central pawn with his bishop
Central pawns <3
Gukesh takes towards the center and he is ready to strike with his pawn next
Ready to castle
Hikaru defends the pawn and is ready to bring the king to safety.
Ready to strike
Bringing the king to safety, Gukesh is ready to strike in the center
A safe king is a happy king
As Gukesh will strike in the center next, Hikaru decides to get the king to safety.
Central pawnbreak
Gukesh forces Hikaru to make a decision in the center.
Keeping it simple
Hikaru goes for the standard move and will pin Gukesh's knight next.
All the rage
A new move that got popularized a few years ago, Gukesh is aiming for an immediate draw, trying to force the matter.
Tempo gain
Hikaru wins a tempo but weakens his king in return.
A "sacrifice"
Hikaru can now "win" another pawn but is likely to win the pawns back quickly.
The simplest
Gukesh had other options, but this is the most straightforward, forcing Hikaru to show his hand. If Hikaru wants to have a shot at an advantage, he has to grab the knight.
Winning a pawn?
Hikaru will capture the central pawn next.
Undefended knight trap
Gukesh should capture the pawn, not getting tempted by winning the knight.
Adventurous Queen
Gukesh Queen greedily munches on the pawn. This is all theory, but Gukesh has to be careful not to lose a piece.
Stop hitting me
Gukesh has started the queen chase
Threats on the kingside
Hikaru is ready to attack Gukesh, but it will only end with exchanging the knight for the light-squared bishop. Does Hikaru have something else in mind? Perhaps he can keep the knight instead and go for an attack on the king?
Keeping his cool
Gukesh avoids any disasters and activates his rook; next he wants to trade his bishop. However, this allows Hikaru to keep his knight, and, like he confessed to the confession booth, he can pretend he has the advantage.
A small surprise
Instead of a knight jump, Hikaru threatens checkmate in 1, forcing Gukesh to move the bishop, but how is this not a draw offer?
No choice
Gukesh, perhaps not feeling completely comfortable, pauses, but why? The move is forced.
Opposite colored bishops
There are few endgames as drawish as opposite color bishops endgames. However, with the queens and rooks on the board, it could turn into an advantage if you are the one attacking.
A substantial positional mistake from Gukesh; I am very surprised Gukesh even considered this move, as now his king will be trapped in the corner, possibly forever.
Removing a defender
By trading one rook, Hikaru highlights Gukesh's weaknesses on the back rank.
Backrank problems
Gukesh's backrank weaknesses are now obvious, and in the foreseeable future his weak king will limit his options.
See the difference?
Hikaru's king is much safer than Gukesh's. Slowly he will improve his position. Unless Gukesh could somehow trade the queens, he will probably get mated.
Safe but slow
Gukesh's king feels a little safer now, but he still has the same problems.
Simple but strong
There is no easy answer to the march of Harry the h-pawn. Gukesh has to stop the pawn, but how? Trading queens seems like the simplest solution, but it will allow Hikaru's rook to invade the 7th rank.
Hoping for counterplay
Hikaru's king might seem a bit weak, but it is only an illusion. In reality, Gukesh can only wait for Hikaru to improve his position, perhaps trading the queens, not to get mated, which will most likely lead to a lost endgame.
Stopping Harry
Gukesh has to stop the pawn from destroying the kingside, but for how long can he just defend against Hikaru's threats?
The point!
This move was the point of Gukesh's previous move: creating threats on the kingside and stopping Hikaru's pawn.
Hikaru is not afraid to take a step with his pawn. His king is in no danger, and he instead saves the pawn from the enemy queen. Next he could consider trading the queens or again preparing the h-pawn push with his rook
Desperation
Gukesh is ready to give up a pawn to get his king out of the corner, but I am not sure Hikaru should accept the tempting offer, as he probably is likely to win a pawn anyways.
No escape
The pawn was tasty, but keeping the king in the corner is even better; Hikaru can improve the position forever.
Avoiding the inevitable
Gukesh has to trade queens soon, and he knows it. Otherwise, Hikaru is just going to double on the e-file with his queen and rook and march the h-pawn, deciding the game.
Double trouble
Hikaru is ready double on the e-file or push the h-pawn.
No salvation in the endgame
Gukesh hopes to survive the endgame, but with the king locked away in the corner, he is most likely dead lost.
Avoiding the exchange
I am a bit surprised by the pawn move since the bishop no longer is invincible, but on the other hand, with the queens on the board, how is Gukesh going to defend the king?
Counterattack?
True to his style, Gukesh goes for the counterattack, hoping to escape another lost position.
What counterplay?
Hikaru argues that his king is completely safe, and I agree! Gukesh's pieces are too busy staring into the empty void and avoiding back rank mates to ever be a threat to Hikaru's king.
A sad neccissity
There was no attack, and it's commendable that Gukesh keeps his posture retreating, finding the only move to keep the fight going.
Let's try again
Finding nothing better Hikaru moves his king back, repeating the position, but hey, it was worth a try! Perhaps it's Harry's turn now, if Gukesh also repeats with his queen?
Run, run, king
If Hikaru pushes his pawn, his king has to be ready to make a run for it, as Gukesh's queen and bishop will do everything to hunt him down.
Hikaru the wise
Pushing the pawn was an "obvious" win according to the engine, but from a human perspective, it was completely unnecessary. Instead, Hikaru opts for a simple solution, keeping the winning advantage.
Repeat
There was nothing better.
No draw!
Hikaru improves the position with a simple yet strong move, controlling the e-file with his queen.
Aimless bishop?
Gukesh hopes to get his bishop back into the game, as it was just staring into nothingness at the moment.
In no hurry
Hikaru avoids the check, not allowing Gukesh to get his bishop back into play
Another attempt
Gukesh is once again hinting at a queen invasion on the queenside, but this allows Hikaru to play a spectacular rook move
At last!
Hikaru goes for the pawn break; I don't see how Gukesh is going to avoid losing a pawn or get mated now
Hikaru will not let the black king escape the corner at the cost of a pawn.
A painful retreat
Gukesh is clinging to the pawn, but now his bishop is stuck in a deadly pin, and his position is far beyond saving.
Questions, questions, questions
Gukesh keeps on fighting, but it's easy to make a final mistake; at least Gukesh can hope for something with Hikaru's open king.
Decisive queen?
Hikaru has the chance to decide the game!
Hikaru finds it! The queen is ready to switch to the kingside.
The only fighting chance, Hikaru has to find a quiet bishop move, not allowing Gukesh any counterchances
Hikaru stops the check and Gukesh's last chance to survive.
Incredible Hikaru's king is completely safe, even Houdini Gukesh can't escape this
There is no escape for the black king, while his counterpart is completely safe.
The end
The endgame brings no chances for the cornered king, as black is completely paralyzed. Gukesh resigns! A strong performance by Hikaru, who wins a convincing game after a questionable positional decision by the World Champion.
A masterpiece from Hikaru
What an incredible game from Hikaru, who showed us the dangers of opposite color bishops, completely outplaying Gukesh. After the latter made a big positional mistake in the opening.
The game started with one of the most drawish openings known to man, the dreaded 4 Knights Scotch. Hikaru, of course, had added some venom to the drawishness, and Gukesh readily found all the right moves. But then, after exchanging his bishop for Hikaru's knight, he surprisingly recaptured with his f pawn, dooming his king to the corner, which it never escaped. With close to perfect play, Hikaru masterfully improved his position, avoiding any hazards, and while Gukesh put up an incredible defense , it was simply not enough against Hikaru at his best. In the end, Gukesh resigned as he could barely move, not allowing Hikaru the finishing blow.
With Caruana losing today to Erigaisi, both Gukesh and Nakamura still have the chance to catch up, only lagging 1 point behind Caruana and half a point behind Magnus. If Hikaru can keep up his strong play from today, he has a shot at winning the tournament. Gukesh's luck finally caught up to him today in a position that was not to his strengths. I am sure the World Champion will learn and adapt, and with the white pieces tomorrow against Wei Yi, he has every chance to take the full point.