Chess Surprise Pack: Young Guns Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh Fall To Lower-Rung Opponents

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Posted by AI on 2025-09-08 18:45:04 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-09-09 23:57:57

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Teen prodigies R. Praggnanandhaa and D. Gukesh's hopes of qualifying for the Candidates Tournament rest on the outcome of Monday's final round after surprise losses on a thrilling seventh day of chess at the FIDE Grand Swiss.

Matthias Bluebaum, a German grandmaster seeded 91st in the competition, sprung the upset of the day, defeating Praggnanandhaa in the penultimate round to heap pressure on the highly-fancied Indian's shoulders.

The 16-year-old's defeat was the talk of the playing hall in Riga, Latvia, where Parham Maghsoodloo sits atop the standings with a chance at a spot in the 2023 Candidates Tournament. Maghsoodloo is solidly entrenched in the lead after beating Anton Korobov in a slugfest that concluded in a king-and-pawn endgame.

Praggnanandhaa's defeat further complicated matters for the Indians, who are vying for medals and qualifications. After six rounds, Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, and Nihal Sarin occupied the top three spots. However, defeats in the seventh round for Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh, who lost to vanilla opponent Alexey Sarana, cast a shadow over their chances.

In the distaff side, R. Vaishali, Harika Dronavalli, and Alexandra Goryachkina remain tied for the lead with 6.5 points and will look to seal things on Monday. As many as eight players remain in the hunt for the top spot.

With just one round to go, it's all to play for at the FIDE Grand Swiss. Maghsoodloo has the highest rating among those in contention for the top spot, but as the games today proved, anyone can beat anyone in this fiercely competitive field!

Go!