Protege Defeats Legendary Mentor: Gukesh vs. Anand
In their first-ever tournament encounter, GM Gukesh D. defeated his mentor, GM Viswanathan Anand, on day three of the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia 2023.
GMs Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi shared first for the rapid segment, drawing a sacrifice-laden fight when they faced each other.
GM Magnus Carlsen chases the leaders in clear third, finishing with back-to-back wins vs. GMs Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Constantin Lupulescu.
The action continues with the blitz portion on Saturday, July 8, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern/15:00 CEST.
Nepomniachtchi started the day with a continuation of his streak, winning a fourth game in a row vs. GM Ivan Saric. On the black side of the Sicilian Nadjorf, he gained the upper hand with an opportune break in the center, setting off a slow yet persistent avalanche for his opponent as he won an extra pawn and traded into an ending where it became an indomitable passer.
Ian Nepomniachtchi with his fans during #superunitedcroatia #grandchesstour. pic.twitter.com/fgaY1p5ZcX
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) July 7, 2023
Gukesh tried an enterprising knight sacrifice vs. Caruana, creating connected passed pawns and gaining vast positional compensation.
Position after 30...Nxd3!!
But when the 17-year-old grandmaster strayed and traded one of his passers for less lucrative play on the kingside, Caruana seized the opportunity to generate his own play, sacrificing back the exchange, rejecting the chance at a perpetual check, and cleanly converting in the queen ending.
Caruana was on the ropes, but now after 47...Qa3? 48.e6! he's winning!#GrandChessTour pic.twitter.com/ltSDkXDMSy
— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 7, 2023
Nepomniachtchi and Caruana scored the only victories of the round, narrowing the leaderboard to the two of them. Fittingly, they faced each other the very next game for an epic penultimate-round matchup between the leaders.
Nepomniachtchi also had Caruana under pressure, sacrificing a pawn to expedite his attack in a double-edged middlegame with the kings castled to opposite sides. When the former challenger briefly hesitated to drive his initiative, Caruana neutralized his rival's advantage by sacrificing back the pawn and then an exchange.
This was the only draw of round eight, which was loaded with inspired ideas. One of the most anticipated clashes of the tournament was Gukesh vs. Anand. As a protege of Anand's for the last couple of years, Gukesh was eagerly looking forward to his first tournament playing alongside the five-time world champion.
Earlier in the event, Anand shared his thoughts on the aspiring prodigy:
"I’m very, very proud of what he’s doing. Just a couple of years back, he was starting his race. This year he’s been very consistent. He had a very good result in WR, good recovery in Wijk, and a very good performance in Norway, steadily making his way up. It’s funny to talk about young talent: he’s just number 15 in the world, so there he is."
It’s funny to talk about young talent: he’s just number 15 in the world.
-Vishwanathan Anand on Gukesh
"For the last couple of years, he’s been one of the students in my chess academy, and it’ll be funny to play him. I’m not quite sure how to place it. I just figure I’ll go there and look at the pieces and not try to make a special game out of it, just try to play good chess.”
Up to the challenge of facing his legendary mentor, Gukesh played creatively, taking over a critical stake in the center and converting it into a dangerous king attack. This remarkable dynamic struggle between iconic teacher and rising star student is our Game of the Day, analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below.
What a day! Gukesh defeats five-time World Champion Vishy Anand in the 8th round of #superunitedrapidblitzcroatia #Grandchesstour!#chess #gukesh #vishyanand #chesstournament @ChessbaseIndia @DGukesh pic.twitter.com/IumCHYB2jh
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) July 7, 2023
Carlsen defeated Duda with an extraordinary tactical resource. In the puzzle below, all moves lose except for the one that wins. Can you find it?
White to move.
GM Richard Rapport launched a magnificent seige vs. Lupulescu's king, building it up gradually and then crashing through suddenly via sacrifice.
GM Alireza Firouzja snuck into a winning ending vs. Saric when the latter overlooked a stunning drawing resource. How would you try to hold this position?
Black to move.
The last round of the rapid went unfortunately for Rapport, who was in contention to tie for third. A relatively even game in the Philidor Defense vs. Saric took a sudden turn when the Romanian grandmaster blundered a striking tactical idea.
Position after 35.Qxg7!
Carlsen won a messy endgame fight vs. Lupulescu, who sacrificed the exchange to create a powerful passer but followed up inaccurately. In the final minutes, the Romanian grandmaster overlooked a study-like way to save the game.
37.Kb2 Rxc5 38.a6!! was a fleeting and beautiful chance for Lupulescu to make a draw, but after 37.Kb3 Carlsen is on course to end the day on a high note! #GrandChessTour pic.twitter.com/t7KUnlOn2f
— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 7, 2023
With the conclusion of the rapid segment, Caruana and Nepomniachtchi share first while Carlsen has climbed up the scoreboard into clear third.
As the players head into the blitz portion, how will the faster time control affect their results?
Firouzja is currently the highest-rated blitz player in the world with a nearly 40-point edge over Carlsen at number three. Among the tournament leaders, Caruana in fourth is rated over 50 points higher than Nepomniachtchi.
Carlsen shared his thoughts on the games ahead:
"A lot can happen now in blitz! I think Alireza is certainly the one who has the highest potential of anyone. Both Ian and Fabi will probably have to do something they've never done before... if I have a good blitz tournament."
Standings - Rapid
All Games - Day 3
The SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2023 is the third leg of the Grand Chess Tour (GCT). The event will start on July 3 at 6 a.m. PT/15:00 CEST, featuring Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand as wild cards along with Tour mainstays like Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and more top-notch competitors battling it out for their share of the $175,000 prize fund.
Previous Coverage:
Vanessa West is a National Master, a chess teacher, and a writer for Chess.com. In 2017, they won the Chess Journalist of the Year award.
You can follow them on X: Vanessa__West
