NEW DELHI: World champion D Gukesh staged a remarkable comeback to salvage a draw against France’s Alireza Firouzja in the final round of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour at Weissenhaus, Germany.
Fighting for a top-eight qualification spot, Gukesh was on the defensive for most of the game but managed to hold on despite some tense moments in a long endgame.
Local favorite Vincent Keymer impressed with a crucial win over Fabiano Caruana, putting the American under pressure to level the score in the next game and force a tiebreak.
Meanwhile, world number one Magnus Carlsen bounced back from his semifinal defeat to Keymer in dominant fashion, defeating Javokhir Sindarov with the black pieces in the third-place playoff. Carlsen now stands as the favourite to secure third place in the $750,000 prize money tournament.
Hikaru Nakamura also made a strong comeback, turning the tables on Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The Uzbek Grandmaster, who had a solid position, overcomplicated matters in a minor piece endgame and paid the price.
Results: Vincent Keymer (GER) beat Fabiano Caruana (USA); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB) lost to Hikaru Nakamura (USA); Alireza Firouzja (FRA) drew with D Gukesh (IND); Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) lost to Magnus Carlsen (NOR).
