Gukesh Loses To Firouzja, Ends Eighth At Freestyle Chess Grand Slam 

World champion D Gukesh ended in eighth position after losing to Iranian-French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in the second game of their seventh-place playoff match at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam at Hamburg, Germany on Friday. Gukesh thus concluded his forgettable campaign in the tournament at Weissenhaus resort without a single win. A day after his remarkable comeback from a hopeless position to draw game one against Firouzja on Thursday, the ball was in Gukesh’s court to do well as the white pieces, but clearly, the world champion had run out of steam to lose in 30 moves.

In the final game, Firouzja proved superior and cashed in on the opportunities presented to him.

Meanwhile, Vincent Keymer won the first edition of the tournament despite being touted as a rookie. The German winning the first leg over many of his fancied rivals is good news for the event’s sponsors who started it keeping in mind the chess connoisseurs.

It is no secret that FIDE, the world’s apex chess body, does not like Chess 960, also known as Fischer Random Chess, or the Freestyle Chess. But it is here to stay.

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