Bucharest (Romania), May 10 – World Champion D Gukesh suffered a surprising defeat at the hands of French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the fourth round of the prestigious Superbet Classic chess tournament, a major setback in his campaign for the title.
The USD 350,000 event witnessed high drama as Gukesh, the tournament's top seed and favourite, lost in just 31 moves while playing Black in a Scotch Opening. Gukesh opted for a lesser-known variation, but his position quickly deteriorated under Vachier-Lagrave's precise play. The Frenchman capitalized on weaknesses on the queenside, eventually forcing Gukesh into a position that was beyond salvage.
With this loss, Gukesh remains winless and is now tied for eighth place on 1.5 points along with Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Poland’s Duda Jan Krzysztof.
Mixed Results for Indian Players
India’s other rising star, R Praggnanandhaa, settled for a quiet draw against Romanian Grandmaster Deac Bogdan-Daniel. Playing with the black pieces, Pragg found no real opportunity to press for a win as Deac opted for simplified exchanges early on, leading to a balanced endgame that concluded after 35 moves.Aronian Scores First Win, Leaders Emerge
Levon Aronian of the United States registered his first victory of the tournament by defeating Duda Jan Krzysztof. Other games in the round ended in draws, with Fabiano Caruana holding Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Alireza Firouzja and Wesley So splitting the point in a tactical yet balanced battle.After four rounds, Caruana, Praggnanandhaa, and Vachier-Lagrave lead the standings with 2.5 points each. They are closely followed by Firouzja, Wesley So, Aronian, and Deac, each with 2 points.
Round 4 Results:
- Deac Bogdan-Daniel (ROU, 2) drew with R Praggnanandhaa (IND, 2.5)
- Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 2.5) defeated D Gukesh (IND, 1.5)
- Duda Jan Krzysztof (POL, 1.5) lost to Levon Aronian (USA, 2)
- Firouzja Alireza (FRA, 2) drew with Wesley So (USA, 2)
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB, 1.5) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2.5)