Hamburg, February 15 (HS): Indian chess Grandmaster D. Gukesh ended his campaign at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam at eighth place on Friday. He suffered a defeat against Iranian-French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in the second game of the seventh place playoff match. With this defeat, Gukesh could not register a single win in the tournament.

Gukesh made an impressive comeback to draw against Firouzja in the first game on Thursday, raising hopes that he would perform well with white pieces. However, he lost in the decisive match played on Friday, which ended in 30 moves. Firouzja maintained his dominance in the final game and won by taking full advantage of the opportunities.

Vincent Keymer won the title

Meanwhile, Vincent Keymer of Germany surprised everyone by winning the first edition of the tournament. He was considered a novice before the tournament, but he won the title by defeating many veteran players. His victory is being considered a major achievement in the chess world.

FIDE disagrees with Chess 960

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) continues to disagree with freestyle chess, also known as Fischer Random Chess or Chess 960. However, this format is gradually increasing its popularity and its future looks bright.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar