On the opening day of the Super Rapid and Blitz Poland tournament held on Tuesday, world champion D. Gukesh experienced a rollercoaster of emotions. He started the day with a draw against Alireza Firouzja, a match he appeared to be winning. However, he then succumbed to a loss against Hans Niemann in a game that had been heading towards a draw. Gukesh managed to end the day on a high note by securing a victory against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, despite facing considerable pressure throughout the match.
The world champion’s fortunes on this first day were influenced by three significant blunders, not all of which were made by Gukesh himself. A notable incident occurred during round two when he faced Niemann. While in a precarious situation due to time constraints, Gukesh inadvertently knocked over Niemann’s queen while attempting to move his knight to the e7 square on his 27th turn. In the process, he also toppled a pawn. With only two seconds remaining on his clock, Gukesh pressed the clock to prevent a time loss, leaving two of Niemann’s pieces rolling on the board.
Niemann called over the arbiter, who awarded him an extra minute but chose not to forfeit Gukesh. In a post-match interview, Niemann expressed his belief that a forfeiture would have been justified, referencing past instances at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Doha where players were penalized for similar actions. He reflected on his own inquiry during the pre-tournament meeting regarding the consequences of knocking over pieces and the necessity of resetting the clock before the board was properly arranged.
When asked about the appropriateness of instant forfeitures in such situations, Niemann, known for his candidness, stated, “I’m not an arbiter, so I won’t claim to be an expert. But if that’s the regulation for the world championship, it makes sense to apply the same rule at all events.”
Despite the complications, Gukesh continued to compete against both Niemann and the ticking clock, but ultimately made a decisive blunder on move 51. He moved his king to e4, allowing Niemann’s pawn on the h-file to advance and placing his knight on g4 in an advantageous position. Gukesh resigned on move 53.
This marked Gukesh’s second blunder of the day. Earlier, he had squandered a winning position against Firouzja with a single misstep. Since winning the world championship in December 2024, Gukesh has shown notable improvement in rapid play, and it seemed he was on track to defeat Firouzja. By the 29th move, he had established a strong position with the black pieces and held a two-pawn advantage by the 40th move. However, when Firouzja captured Gukesh’s rook on the 68th move, Gukesh mistakenly responded with the wrong piece, opting for a pawn instead of his bishop, which led to a draw after 20 additional moves.
Grandmaster Maurice Ashley commented on the situation during the St Louis Chess Club stream, suggesting that if Gukesh cannot convert such advantageous positions into wins, it raises concerns about what he can win. “Gukesh will need to refocus after what could be a costly draw,” he remarked.
Fortunately for Gukesh, he found success in his last match of the day against Duda, who was one of his seconds during the World Chess Championship in 2024. Duda held a slight advantage starting from the 26th move, but a critical blunder on move 40 allowed Gukesh to apply pressure, leading to Duda’s resignation on move 45.
Only two players remained unbeaten after three rounds: Gukesh’s championship challenger, Javokhir Sindarov, and Niemann. On Wednesday, Gukesh will face Sindarov for the first time since the Uzbek grandmaster secured his position as the championship challenger.
Amit Kamath serves as the Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Mumbai. He specializes in chess and Olympic sports coverage and co-hosts the Game Time podcast, a weekly segment from Express Sports. Additionally, he contributes a weekly chess column titled “On The Moves.”
