Chess
Grand Swiss 2025: Gukesh slips again; Vaishali shines in Women’s section
At the top, Arjun Erigaisi held sole leader Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran to a draw with Black, staying just half a point behind on 4.5.
Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Nodirbek Abdusattarov of Uzbekistan in the second round of the Sinquefield Cup 2025.(Photo credit: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour)
World Champion D Gukesh suffered his second successive defeat at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, losing to Greece’s Nikolas Theodorou in the sixth round.
Coming off a shock loss to Abhimanyu Mishra in round five, Gukesh over-pressed in a drawn rook endgame and now sits on 50 percent with three points. He must win at least four of his last five games to remain in contention.
At the top, Arjun Erigaisi held sole leader Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran to a draw with Black, staying just half a point behind on 4.5. Nihal Sarin joined him on the same score after defeating Poland’s Szymon Gumularz, capitalising on a tactical oversight. American prodigy Abhimanyu Mishra and Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum also sit on 4.5 points, sharing second place.
Among other Indians, R Praggnanandhaa was held by Azerbaijan’s Rauf Mamedov, while Vidit Gujrathi scored a smooth win over Slovenia’s Anton Demchenko. P Harikrishna, Raunak Sadhwani, Aditya Mittal, and S L Narayanan all drew their games.
In the women’s section, R Vaishali produced a commanding win with Black against Azerbaijan’s Ulviyya Fataliyeva, moving into joint lead on five points alongside FIDE’s Kateryna Lagno, who defeated Germany’s Dinara Wagner. Dronavalli Harika also registered a victory against Uzbekistan’s Gurukhbegim Tokhirjonova, while Vantika Agrawal beat Algeria’s Lina Nassr.
With a rest day scheduled on Wednesday, the tournament will resume Thursday in both sections. The top two finishers qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which decides the next World Championship challengers.
