Reigning World Chess Champion D. Gukesh will take on Fabiano Caruana in the quarter-finals of the Weissenhaus leg of the ongoing Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, scheduled for Sunday. The Indian Grandmaster, who finished eighth in the round-robin stage, clinched the final qualification spot after a challenging campaign marked by seven draws and two losses. Despite his struggles in the shorter formats, Gukesh remains a strong contender, having showcased his talent during the 2023 Candidates and World Championship.
Gukesh’s losses during the round-robin stage were to Alireza Firouzja and Magnus Carlsen. Firouzja handed Gukesh a decisive defeat, while Carlsen prevailed in their highly anticipated match, leading to Gukesh’s resignation during the endgame. Despite these setbacks, Gukesh is considered one of the favourites to win the title, thanks to his impressive track record in previous high-level tournaments.
In the ongoing Grand Slam Tour, players finishing in the top four of the preliminary round are allowed to choose their quarter-final opponents from the fifth to eighth place finishers. Alireza Firouzja, who topped the standings, selected sixth-placed Vincent Keymer as his opponent, while second-placed Javokhir Sindarov picked Hikaru Nakamura. Caruana, who finished third, chose Gukesh as his quarter-final rival. The two had earlier played to an epic draw during the round-robin stage.
Magnus Carlsen, who secured fourth place, will face Nodirbek Abdusattorov in his quarter-final match. Meanwhile, Vladimir Fedoseev and Levon Aronian will compete for the ninth position.
Speaking about his win over Gukesh, Carlsen expressed confidence, stating, “Honestly, there was not a single point in the game where it was realistic that he could play for a win. The practical chances were always with me, especially with the time. Once things started going downhill for him, it was almost inevitable. When I get my pieces going, it becomes unstoppable.”
