Prague: Aravindh Chithambaram outplayed fellow Indian D Gukesh in the sixth round of the Masters section at the Prague International Chess Festival, dealing a significant blow to the reigning world champion’s campaign.
Aravindh employed a sharp tactical idea in the Sicilian Defence to overcome Gukesh, who had earlier experimented with the Philidor Defence in the tournament.
Gukesh sacrificed a pawn early in search of attacking chances and at one stage the position appeared headed for a draw. However, under severe time pressure on move 40, the 18-year-old blundered, allowing Aravindh to seize control and convert the advantage within a few moves.
The defeat pushed Gukesh to the bottom of the standings with 1.5 points, while his live world ranking slipped to No. 20. Since clinching the FIDE World Championship in December 2024, Gukesh has struggled for consistency. His best showing this year came at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January 2025, where he tied for first but lost the tiebreak to R Praggnanandhaa. He has since shed over 50 rating points.
Aravindh’s victory was the only decisive result of the round, with the remaining four games ending in draws.
Jorden van Foreest continues to lead the Masters standings with 4.5 points after holding local favourite David Navara to a draw. Navara shares second place with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who is half a point behind the leader.
Spain’s David Anton Guijarro is on 3.5 points after drawing with Parham Maghsoodloo. Aravindh, Vincent Keymer and Nodirbek Yakubboev are placed next, while Hans Niemann sits just above Gukesh with 2 points.
In the Challengers section, Divya Deshmukh drew with Thomas Beerdsen, while Surya Shekhar Ganguly shared the spoils with Daniil Yuffa.
With three rounds remaining, the battle for top honours remains finely poised in Prague’s second elite tournament of the year.
