&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Super Rapid and Blitz: Gukesh defeats Caruana in final round of Rapid event")
World champion D. Gukesh ended the rapid section of the Super Rapid and Blitz Tournament on a positive note, defeating American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in the ninth and final round to finish tied for fourth place. The strong finish marked an encouraging return to form for the 19-year-old Indian after a difficult few months. With the blitz segment still to come, Gukesh remains in contention alongside several top players. He is currently tied for fourth place on nine points, with 18 blitz rounds remaining in the tournament.
Gukesh’s final day in the rapid competition began on a disappointing note as he lost to French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. However, he recovered with a draw against Slovenia’s Vladimir Fedoseev before securing an important victory over Caruana in the last round.
Meanwhile, American wildcard entrant Hans Moke Niemann emerged as the surprise winner of the rapid section with 13 points. Niemann finished one point ahead of compatriot Wesley So, while Fedoseev claimed third place with 11 points.
Reflecting on his performance, Gukesh admitted that his campaign had been uneven. Speaking to the Saint Louis Chess Club, he said “My rapid event was inconsistent. I was playing well, but I missed a few chances. There were also games where I was in trouble and managed to save. The tournament could have been better.”
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Gukesh now shares fourth place with Caruana and Polish Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda, setting up an intense contest heading into the blitz section. Speaking about his approach, Gukesh joked that blitz chess is all about "play fast and pray,” adding that this would be his strategy.
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In the important game against Caruana, the American, playing black, opted for the Benoni Defence and gained an extra pawn during the early middlegame. Gukesh, however, generated strong counterplay on the queenside to stay in the contest.
The turning point came on move 38, when Caruana overlooked a tactical idea that allowed Gukesh to exchange a bishop for a rook and seize the advantage. Gukesh converted the position confidently and wrapped up the win 11 moves later.
Round 9 results
- Gukesh defeated Caruana
- Radoslaw Wojtaszek drew with Niemann
- Fedoseev beat Vachier-Lagrave
- Javokhir Sindarov drew with Alireza Firouzja
- Duda Jan-Krzystzof drew with Wesley SO
