Talk about a brutal round 3 for the Indian superstar! After losing two classical games in a row, Gukesh now faces the current tournament leader, Hikaru Nakamura, with the white pieces. Despite his recent slump, the 18-year-old world champion still has the opportunity to turn the tournament around.
In all fairness, Gukesh has played spectacular chess so far in the tournament. His main frustration has been his time usage, as running down his clock in complex situations has led him down the wrong path for two games in a row. If he is to create chances with the white pieces against a Nakamura who seems to be in fantastic shape, he needs to get a grip on his time management. This is especially important due to this tournament's uncommon time control, where neither player receives extra time after move 40.
As is the norm in classical chess at the top level, Hikaru will be pleased with a draw in the classical portion with the black pieces, looking to grab extra points on the leaderboard in a potential armageddon where he's the clear favorite. Any slip-ups from Gukesh will permit Hikaru to play for the full three points, but we're not expecting the American speed chess specialist to take unnecessary risks.
Let's see if Gukesh can make something happen today!
Gukesh has opted for a very well known, theoretical opening, obtaining control over the light squares in the center from the get-go
Gukesh clearly has come well prepared and opts for a rare move in this position. Most players opt to push their pawn to begin an expansion along the dark squares in the center, but Gukesh instead stays flexible with his pawns.
For now, Hikaru needs to face the threat against his knight.
Hikaru's knight quickly retreats.
Gukesh still in preparation
This is a pretty novel approach from Gukesh, who's opting for a very different setup than what is usually played in this opening variation. His point with this move is potentially rerouting his knight towards the light squares on the queenside.
Hikaru, seemingly unfazed by Gukesh's opening approach, quickly continues his natural development, now offering a trade of bishops to contest Gukesh's control over the light squares. This choice allows Gukesh to double Hikaru's pawns, but going down this route also gives Hikaru additional control over the center and the option to advance down the baord at a later stage.
Play turns dynamic
Gukesh goes for the trade of bishops, now creating a dynamic pawn structure.
Hikaru quickly recaptures in the only way possible.
Gukesh reveals his intention!
This was one of the main ideas behind Gukesh's earlier move with his bishop; he now has enough cover to immediately strike against Hikaru's control over the dark squares in the center.
This idea has led to a very different situation on the board compared to what is common in this particular opening, and Hikaru will likely spend some time to get an idea of the main differences in this opening approach.
For now it seems like Gukesh's opening choice has been a success, as he has managed to gain a fresh position with a slight initiative.
Rather than trading pawns, Hikaru opts to retain his structure as is in the center. This is a big strategic decision, as it allows Gukesh to get a stable square on the queenside for his knight, pacifying Hikaru's pawn structure due to the pressure against his pawns.
Gukesh has managed to gain a clear initiative, and Hikaru has to play precisely from here to not end up in a significantly worse position.
Gukesh continues his plan and puts heavy pressure against Hikaru's pawn in the middle of the board. It's difficult to envision how Hikaru is to generate counterplay, as any hope for a break in the center is completely off the table in the short term.
Hikaru appears to have fallen right into an opening trap by Gukesh, as he needed to play actively to maintain objective equality in the position. The big issue lies in the fact that Gukesh's knight on the queenside has become an immensely powerful piece, essentially tying down Hikaru's entire pawn structure in the center and on the queenside while being completely stable on its outpost.
Hikaru is by no means in a losing situation, but finding a way forward from this position will be a struggle.
Hikaru ultimately chooses to sidestep with his queen, intending to retreat with his knight in case Gukesh's pawn kicks it away.
Hikaru's position has become very passive, and he will need several moves to untangle if Gukesh finds the precise continuation.
Gukesh finds the best move!
This was the way forward, as Gukesh now gains a permanent space advantage on the queenside in addition to pacifying Hikaru's knight.
Is this the beginning of a tournament comeback?
As expected, Hikaru retreats his knight back. His problems in the center remain, and his long-term goal will be to find a way to go for a pawn break in the center.
Gukesh opts to immediately go for a center break of his own, but this wasn't the best way forward!
Gukesh remains in a better position, but going for a pawn break allows Hikaru to generate counterplay against Gukesh's kingside and center.
Although Hikaru remains vulnerable after this move, he now has the chance to initiate a counterattack and create complications.
The main drawback to Gukesh's move is that it allows Hikaru to target his pawn in the center. While Hikaru still will struggle to gain control over the key light squares in the middle of the board, he will at least apply some counter-pressure. In addition, opening up the position lessens the effect of Gukesh's space advantage, giving his pieces an easier time untangling.
Hikaru quickly captures the pawn in the center.
Hikaru went into the confessional, admitting that he had misremembered something in the opening, leading to a difficult position. While objectively difficult, Hikaru claimed that there's a silver lining in this position due to him being able to go all in on an attack on the kingside while Gukesh is forced to calculate the critical variations.
Considering Hikaru's comments, expect this game to quickly heat up! Hikaru is ready to go for an all-out attack, and it will be up to Gukesh to find the most punishing response to his ideas.
Photo: Chess24 YouTube
Gukesh quickly recaptures, and the position is now opening up.
After some further thought, Hikaru eventually decided to once again capture the pawn in the center.
Gukesh now has several tempting options, including sacrificing a pawn to obtain a dominating grip along the dark squares with his knight. As Hikaru mentioned in the confessional booth, this position is now turning complicated, and finding the best way forward is all but straightforward.
Gukesh has managed to maintain a gigantic lead on the clock. While all the top moves lead to an objectively equal position, Gukesh's choice here may drastically change the character of the position on the board.
Rather than recapturing the pawn, Gukesh instead opts to put pressure on another one. His plan is to force Hikaru to give up his control over the dark squares in the middle of the board, allowing Gukesh to gain a powerful outpost for his knights in the center.
While Gukesh's advantage is objectively small, Hikaru's position remains very difficult to play. Moreover, Gukesh has managed to keep up the tempo and maintains his big time advantage.
Hikaru decides to ignore Gukesh's threats and instead sacrifices his knight! This sacrifice is temporary, as his idea is to regain the lost material by delivering a fork with his pawn.
We will now see several exchanges leading to a middlegame where Gukesh remains with the initiative. Hikaru's decision has allowed Gukesh to gain dominating control over the center, but he will in return get a counterattack going on the kingside.
Gukesh captures Hikaru's knight.
As expected, Hikaru is quick to deliver a fork against Gukesh's knight and rook.
Gukesh first captures Hikaru's bishop, now threatening Hikaru's rook.
Hikaru's queen is forced to recapture Gukesh's bishop.
Gukesh moves his rook away from Hikaru's threat while at the same time recapturing one of the pawns that he lost earlier.
Hikaru regains a piece by capturing Gukesh's knight.
After all is said and done, Hikaru now leads by a pawn, but Gukesh has the potential to recover the lost material in the near future. In addition, he has attained dominant control over the middle of the board, giving him a more active position.
There's no doubt that Gukesh stands better on the board, but it's not yet clear whether his advantage will be enough to play for a win.
Rather than capturing Hikaru's pawn right away, Gukesh opts to deploy his knight immediately to the center. His intention is to get his knight into play before Hikaru is able to contest it.
Gukesh also threatens to deliver a fork to Hikaru's rook and queen, forcing Hikaru to respond.
Hikaru gets his queen out of the way while at the same time putting pressure on Gukesh's knight.
Gukesh quickly captures Hikaru's pawn, getting his knight away from the queen's line of sight while at the same time regaining the lost material.
Hikaru finally gets his knight back into play, now looking to place it on a strong outpost on the queenside. This maneuver will allow him to pressure one of Gukesh's pawns while at the same time defending his weakness in the center.
Hikaru's defensive plan is solid, and he has now managed to stabilize his position. As Hikaru successfully untangles his pieces, a win for Gukesh seems much less likely.
Gukesh now pressures Hikaru's pawn in the center with his queen.
Hikaru finishes his defensive maneuver and manages to cover his weak pawn in the center.
Gukesh gets his final rook into play and has now optimized his pieces.
Hikaru now seems very confident in his defensive setup and quickly offers the trade of rooks.
Hikaru has successfully managed to stabilize, making a draw the most likely outcome. While Hikaru's pawn in the center remains a weakness, he has managed to find a strong constellation to keep everything under control.
Gukesh moves his pawn up the board, looking to destabilize Hikaru's knight and create additional weaknesses on the queenside.
Hikaru continues to find the best way forward, allowing the trade of pawns. If he can manage to trade more pieces, we'll soon reach an endgame where Gukesh's structural advantage simply isn't big enough to play for a win.
Hikaru keeps playing confidently, but this move gives Gukesh some tiny hopes of pressing further. By allowing the trade of the second pair of rooks, Gukesh may be able to put meaningful pressure against Hikaru's weaknesses.
The position should still be under control, but his practical mistake breathes life back into the game!
The best option for Hikaru would've been to deliver a check with his queen, forcing Gukesh to respond by going for a more defensive setup. With the choice of simplifying to this endgame, Gukesh's knight remains active and can put considerable pressure on Hikaru's weaknesses.
If Hikaru manages to trade pawns on the queenside, this position remains a dead draw. Getting there requires precise play, however, and all hopes of winning are not yet gone for Gukesh!
Hikaru has found himself in significant trouble, while Gukesh poses a serious threat on the board. Hikaru only has a single move to keep his position intact now!
From what seemed to be a completely innocent endgame, Gukesh is now threatening both to win Hikaru's knight and checkmate!! Hikaru spends a lot of time here, clearly sensing the danger, but is it too late?
Gukesh's queen is threatening to infiltrate the position with a tempo, and Hikaru's knight doesn't have many reasonable squares to go to. Moving backwards results in Gukesh managing to gain a passed pawn on the queenside, which would give him a decisive advantage.
This position is absolutely stunning, and it will be immensely difficult for Hikaru to find the right way forward.
Hikaru fails to find the best move and is now completely lost!!
Gukesh now wins a pawn on the queenside, giving him a winning endgame with correct play. Out of nowhere, Gukesh has gained his greatest winning chance of the tournament!
Gukesh correctly decides to capture the pawn that was ripe for the picking! Hikaru now needs to find a way to stop Gukesh's pawn from advancing up the board, and there is no defense against this with correct play!
There's still lots of moves to be played, and Hikaru's fate is far from sealed. A slip-up in the ending could lead to Hikaru getting straight back into the game.
Gukesh's main winning plan is now to get the knights traded, leading to a completely winning queen endgame.
If Gukesh realizes that trading minor pieces leads to victory, he will have little trouble finishing off Hikaru in this position. The question now is whether Gukesh understands that this plan is the best way forward.
All play now revolves around Gukesh's extra pawn, which is only three squares away from becoming a queen.
Gukesh gets his knight back to safety, putting it on a square where it's defended by his own pawn.
Hikaru's king was tactically exposed, and he therefore opts to move it to a safer square.
Gukesh starts setting up threats to push his pawn further up the board.
Hikaru moves his queen back, but Gukesh can now force the trade of knights by tactical means!
Gukesh is in no rush to simplify the position, and instead gives additional support to his pawn that was undefended.
In addition to his dangerous passed pawn, Gukesh also has dangerous threats against Hikaru's king. If he moves his queen too far away from its defence, he may end up being checkmated!
Hikaru retreats his knight to lend additional support to his queenside.
Gukesh simply moves his king to a safer square, making small improvements and forcing Hikaru to come up with a plan.
Hikaru has no improvements to make in the position and decides to simply shuffle his queen.
Gukesh prepares to infiltrate the position with his queen via the dark squares.
Hikaru is in a horrible situation with only two minutes left on his clock! Holding this will require more than a miracle.
Gukesh has managed to get his queen into the heart of Hikaru's position, and the threats are just too much for Hikaru to handle.
When all hopes of a win seemed gone, Gukesh managed to find a way! The world champion is finally on the board after a rough start and manages to defeat Hikaru Nakamura in spectacular fashion.
Strong opening preparation quickly put Hikaru in a difficult situation in this game. Gukesh managed to get a space advantage and a clear initiative from the get-go, but Hikaru managed to defend valiantly and traded down to an endgame.
In the ensuing position, Hikaru appeared to possess complete control. A final trade of rooks spelled disaster for him, however, and Gukesh managed to create difficulties due to Hikaru's pawn weaknesses in the center and on the queenside.
Hikaru finally slipped, and Gukesh had no trouble converting the endgame that ensued into a decisive victory. Gukesh played a brilliant game, demonstrating his ability to punish his opponent's mistakes and maintaining a high pace to prevent time trouble.