Grandmaster (GM) Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest world chess champion at 18 last year. Since then, he has faced many critics, including fellow grandmasters. Recently, Uzbekistan star GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov predicted that Gukesh would lose his title soon. Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand defended Gukesh, saying such remarks are just part of modern chess talk.
But the Grand Swiss tournament brought Gukesh a tough test. Even though he did not need to play as world champion, he joined to test his skills. He started well with two wins and two draws. Then came the shock. In the fifth round, he lost to 16-year-old American prodigy GM Abhimanyu Mishra.
Abhimanyu Mishra Becomes youngest player to beat a reigning world champion
Mishra, born in New Jersey to Indian parents, already held the record as the youngest-ever grandmaster at 12 years and four months. With this win, he set another milestone. He became the youngest player to beat a reigning world champion in classical chess. The record was earlier held by Gata Kamsky, who beat Garry Kasparov at 18 in 1992.
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The game began with a King’s pawn opening leading into the Giuoco Pianissimo. Mishra surprised Gukesh with an early piece sacrifice on move 12. His bold choice gave him strong play. Soon, a pawn on c7 locked Gukesh’s pieces. But Mishra admitted he panicked at one stage and allowed Gukesh back into the game.
The battle lasted almost six hours across 61 moves. Mishra made mistakes but kept his nerve in the endgame. His rook moves and advancing g-pawn finally forced Gukesh to resign.
After the game, Mishra said he was thrilled. “This is going better than I imagined. I feel I can match the best players. If I keep this form, I can even win the tournament,” he said.
For Gukesh, the defeat is another sign that even as champion, he is not untouchable. For Mishra, it is a historic step in his young career.
