World champion D Gukesh was eliminated from the Freestyle Grand Slam Chess after suffering his second consecutive quarterfinal loss to Fabiano Caruana in Hamburg, Germany, on Monday.
Needing a win to stay in contention after dropping the first game with white pieces, Gukesh struggled against the experienced American Grandmaster, who sealed victory in just 18 moves.
While Gukesh is out of the quarterfinal, his time in Weissenhaus still continues, as he will battle for the fifth to eighth ranking spots, playing the loser of the Hikaru Nakamura vs Jakovhir Sindarov quarterfinal tie. Fifth place gets $50,000 and 10 points, while eighth gets $10,000 and 4 points.
Freestyle Chess follows the Chess960 format, where the initial back-rank piece placement is randomized, while pawns remain in their usual positions.
This concept was first introduced by chess legend Bobby Fischer and has gained traction as a potential future of the sport, thanks to increasing financial backing.
Gukesh blundered a pawn early in the game, allowing Caruana to take control. A seasoned Chess 960 player, Caruana smoothly transitioned the position into a conventional chess setup by move 15, with a clear pawn advantage. Seeing no way back, Gukesh resigned, accepting defeat with a handshake.
Despite this setback, Gukesh remains in the tournament and will now shift his focus to the battle for a last-four finish.
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