Gukesh finishes last at Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, loses to Firouzja

World champion D Gukesh ended the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam finishing last after losing to Iranian-French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in their their seventh-place playoff match.

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After a drawn- battle on the first day, Gukesh had an opportunity to bounce back but lost in just 30 moves. A mid- game mistake forced him to give up on his queen, allowing Firouzja to take advantage and secure victory.

Gukesh’s seventh-position meant that he concluded the tournament in Weissenhaus without a single win.

Meanwhile, Vincent Keymer emerged as a surprise winner, defeating Fabiano Caruana, despite being touted as a rookie at the start. The German’s victory over several higher- ranked opponents was seen as a positive outcome for the event’s sponsors.

Magnus Carlsen secured the third place defeating Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov. Sindarov had earlier replaced Viswanathan Anand, however Carlsen stood strong giving him back-to-back defeats.

Hikaru Nakamura won against another Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov to end on the fifth spot.

FIDE, the world chess governing body, has been reluctant to endorse Chess 960- Fischer Random Chess, or the Freestyle Chess- but the tournament’s success indicated a growing appeal.

Results: Vincent Keymer (Germany) beat Fabiano Caruana (USA) 1.5-0.5; Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) lost to Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 0-2; Alireza Firouzja (France) beat D Gukesh (India) 1.5-0.5; Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) lost to Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 0-2.

Final standings: 1. Vincent Keymer; 2. Fabiano Caruana; 3. Magnus Carlsen; 4. Javokhir Sindarov; 5. Hikaru Nakamura; 6. Nodirbek Abdusattorov; 7. Alireza Firouzja; 8. D Gukesh.