Chess
Mentor beats master: Gukesh stuns Viswanathan Anand
This was the first time that five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand was meeting India No.2 Gukesh in a tournament.
D Gukesh and Viswanathan Anand after their match (Lennart Ootes)
Teenaged Grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh stunned his mentor, the legendary Viswanathan Anand, in their first ever meeting at a tournament on day three of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2023 on Friday night.
In a match between the mentor, Anand, who is the top ranked Indian in classical chess with a world rank of 9, and his mentee, Gukesh, the second ranked Indian who is currently ranked 13th in the world, it was the 17-year-old Gukesh who prevailed in 40 moves.
After the eighth round of the Rapid event, Gukesh and Anand were tied for 4th spot on the Rapid standings at the end of the third day of the event. Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Magnus Carlsen are the top three in the standings as of now.
"It was a very important win. I'm happy," Gukesh told the Grand Chess Tournament after his momentous win.
"I thought I was better, but he equalised quite easily. Then he blundered the back rank. And after that the position got really tricky. It was very hard to play from there."
Viswanathan Anand, who has been India's top ranked chess player for more than three decades now, has trained Gukesh as a part of the WACA (WestBridge Anand Chess Academy).
The Grand Chess Tour serves as a series of international events showcasing the world's most exceptional players.
