Prague (Czech Republic), March 6 World Champion D Gukesh ended a winless streak, defeating David Anton Guijarro of Spain in the ninth and final round of the Masters section of the Prague International Chess festival, which concluded here.
However, Aravindh Chithambaram also shone in the final round, defeating David Navara of the Czech Republic to finish joint second.
After a string of draws and three losses earlier in the tournament, Gukesh was finally able to demonstrate his skill in what was a well-played game by the Indian ace.
Guijarro, who succumbed to his third consecutive loss, was no match for Gukesh in creativity, and was outplayed in the endgame.
Meanwhile, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan won the tournament after an easy draw with white against Hans Moke Niemann of the United States.
The Uzbek had earlier won the Tata Steel Masters in February, and in another impressive performance, he scored three victories and six draws to remain undefeated here.
Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran, Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands, and Aravindh scored an identical five points to tie for second place.
For Aravindh, it was an excellent recovery towards the end, just as it seemed he was struggling. Against Navara, the Indian played his trademark complex chess and was rewarded when he created threats on both sides of the board.
After leading the tournament for the first seven rounds, Van Foreest lost steam and suffered his second consecutive loss in the tournament at the hands of Maghsoodloo.
Navarra and Uzbek Nodirbek Yakubboev tied for fifth place with 4.5 points, half a point ahead of German Vincent Keymer and Niemann, while Gukesh and Guijarro tied for ninth place in the ten-player round-robin tournament.
There was more good news for the Indians on the final day in the Challengers' section, where Divya Deshmukh defeated Hrbek Stepan of the Czech Republic to finish in a creditable third place.
Just ahead of the Women's Candidates tournament to be held in Cyprus at the end of the month, this result will definitely send warning signals to Divya's opponents.
Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly also finished strongly, defeating higher-rated Benjamin Gledura of Hungary in his final outing.
The 16-year-old Finek Vanclav of the Czech Republic scored an enviable 6.5 points to win the event, half a point ahead of Daniel Yuffa of Spain.
Results: Masters: Vincent Keymer (Ger, 4) lost to Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzb, 4.5); Parham Maghsoodloo (Iri, 5) beat Jorden van Foreest (Ned, 5); David Anton Guijarro (Esp, 3.5) lost to D Gukesh (Ind, 3.5); Aravindh Chithambaram (Ind, 5) beat David Navara (Cze, 4.5); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 6) drew with Hans Moke Niemann (Usa, 4).
Challengers: Jonas Bjerre Buhl (Den, 4.5) beat Zhu Jiner (Chn, 2.5); Thomas Beerdsen (Ned, 4) lost to Finek Vanclav (Cze, 6.5); Nemec Jachym (Cze, 4.5) lost to Daniil Yuffa (Esp, 6); Surya Shekhar Ganguly (Ind, 4) beat Benjamin Gledura (Hun, 4.5); Hrbek Stepan (Cze, 3.5) lost to Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 5).
