Prague, March 4 Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram found a textbook-style tactic to outwit compatriot D Gukesh, relegating the reigning FIDE world champion to the last spot after the end of the sixth round of the Masters section of the Prague International Chess Festival here.
Aravindh's victory meant that Gukesh is now ranked 20th on the live rating list, which did not feature Viswanathan Anand due to his potentially inactive status. Gukesh has faced a clear challenge in maintaining his status as the world champion since he won the title in December 2024.
Possibly the only exception was the Tata Steel Masters in January 2025, when he lost the tiebreaker to R Praggnanandhaa after tying for first place. Recently, the world champion has lost over fifty points in rating.
For the record, Aravindh finally switched to a Sicilian defense as black after his Philidor experiment failed miserably. It was easy for Aravindh to exploit Gukesh's weaknesses, as he sacrificed a pawn to find some tactics in the early stages of the middle game.
Aravindh would have been happy with a draw, given the position with white having a rook against two knights. However, on the 40th move, with seconds remaining, Gukesh made the decisive error. The game was over in eight moves.
Surprisingly, this was the only decisive game of the day, with the remaining four ending in draws.
Jorden van Foreest remained in the lead with 4.5 points, drawing with local star David Navara, who remained joint second with Abdusattorov Nodirbek of Uzbekistan, a half point behind.
David Anton Guijarro, with 3.5 points, is closest to the three above him, having settled for a draw against Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran.
Aravindh, along with Vincent Keymer of Germany and Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan, is next in the lineup, while Niemann is just above Gukesh with 1.5 points.
Foreest finally had a draw after five decisive games, and this time, his extra pawn seemed to be the key. The Dutchman has been in top form, but in the sixth round, Navara held his nerve to keep the opposition pieces under control and launch an attack.
The result was a draw, allowing Foreest to maintain the lead, but both Navara and Abdusattorov remain in contention, with three rounds still to come in the second super tournament of the year.
In the Masters section, world women's cup winner Divya Deshmukh played out a draw with Thomas Beerdsen of Holland, while Surya Shekhar Ganguly split the point with Daniil Yuffa of Spain.
Round 6 Masters Results: D Gukesh (Ind, 1.5) lost to Aravindh Chithambaram (Ind, 2.5); David Anton Guijarro (Esp, 3.5) drew with Parham Maghsoodloo (Iri, 3); Hans Moke Niemann (Usa, 2) drew with Vincent Keymer (Ger, 2.5); Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzb, 2.5) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4); Jorden van Foreest (Ned, 4.5) drew with David Navara (Cze, 4).
Challengers: Daniil Yuffa (Esp, 3) drew with Surya Shekhar Ganguly (Ind, 1.5); Benjamin Gledura (Hun, 3) beat Nemec Jachym (Cze, 3); Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 3) drew with Thomas Beerdsen (Ned, 3.5); Hrbek Stepan (Cze, 3.5) drew with Jonas Buhl Bjerre (Den, 3); Zhu Jiner (Chn, 2) drew with Finek Vanclav (Cze, 4.5).
