Chess: Erdogmus, 14 , wins ‘Immortal’ recreation on Silk Highway as Grand Swiss nears climax – The Guardian

The ‘Turkish Immortal’ allowed two white queens on the board, then sacrificed the black queen for a pawn, adopted by checkmate by a beforehand unmoved black pawn
There have been two new frontrunners on Thursday on the $625,000 Grand Swiss in Samarkand on the traditional Silk Highway, after Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo, who had led for the primary six rounds, was overwhelmed. The highest two finishers after 11 rounds will qualify for the 2026 Candidates and a possible title shot on the shaky crown of the world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju.
Leaders after spherical seven have been Nihal Sarin (India) and Matthias Blübaum (Germany) 5.5, Maghsoodloo (Iran), Abhimanyu Mishra and Hans Niemann (US), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Alireza Firouzja (France), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) and Vidit Gujrathi (India) 5.
Sarin, 21, and Blübaum, 28, have been seeded solely Nos 20 and 32 in the beginning. They are going to be paired collectively in Friday’s eighth spherical, however can anticipate a tough experience within the last three rounds because the favourites make their bids for the Candidates.
This event shall be remembered for 2 historic teenage achievements. Mishra, who’s already a world report holder because the youngest ever grandmaster, at 12 years 4 months, set one other landmark when, aged 16 years seven months, he defeated Gukesh in spherical 5 to change into the youngest participant ever to win in opposition to a reigning world champion, breaking the report set 33 years earlier by Gata Kamsky of the US, then 17 years 10 months, against Garry Kasparov at Dortmund 1992.
Mishra was modest concerning the recreation: “Despite the fact that I gained, it doesn’t really feel pleasing, as a result of I had a profitable place however simply threw it away. Later he made some errors and I bought it again, however general it wasn’t a really clear recreation.”
The second historic recreation was in spherical 4, when Turkey’s Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus overwhelmed India’s Mittal Aditya by a barrage of brilliancies. The “Turkish Immortal” allowed two white queens on the board, then sacrificed the black queen for a pawn, adopted by checkmate by a beforehand unmoved black pawn. It was much more good than Bobby Fischer’s 1956 “Game of the Century” in opposition to Donald Byrne.
Aditya v Erdogmus is given right here twice: first with the bare moves, then with the Chessbase India video of the sport because it truly occurred, with the strikes sped up as in the event that they have been taking part in blitz. Magnus Carlsen, commenting on Take Take Take, paid Erdogmus an enormous praise: “Erdogmus is basically, actually good, at nearly unprecedented ranges at that age.”
The younger Turk impressed once more with a tough defence in opposition to Abdusattorov, who tried for eight hours and 190 strikes to win with queen and rook pawn in opposition to queen, however in Thursday’s spherical seven Erdogmus was effectively overwhelmed by Hans Niemann, making a late transfer in the direction of the leaders.
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In the meantime, Gukesh misplaced once more, this time in opposition to the little-known Greek GM Nikolas Theodorou. Making an attempt to regain floor within the event, Gukesh overpressed after which had a declare for a draw by threefold repetition of place rejected by the arbiter, who added two minutes to Theodorou’s clock as a penalty.
It bought worse for Gukesh in spherical seven when, after reaching a gained place in opposition to Turkey’s different younger star Ediz Gurel, 16, he blundered into defeat. Gukesh now has a minus rating after three losses in a row, whereas Gurel turns into the all-time second youngest participant after Mishra to beat a reigning world champion.
General within the Grand Swiss, the small group of elite GMs who monopolise invites to invaluable all-play-all tournaments have failed thus far to exhibit any clear superiority to decrease ranked opponents. There could possibly be a message right here for the St Louis-backed Grand Chess Tour and the Freestyle Grand Slam.
Not like the Open, the $230,000 Ladies’s Grand Swiss has been dominated by two of the highest seeds: Vaishali Rameshbabu, who gained it in 2023, and Kateryna Lagno, a constant performer in main occasions. Vaishali took a transparent lead in spherical seven when she overwhelmed her Chinese opponent with a basic assault by queen, knight and pawns on a castled king.
Ladies’s Grand Prix leaders after seven of the 11 rounds have been Vaishali (India) 6, Lagno (Russia) 5.5, Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria), Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan), Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), and Yuxin Tune (China) 5.
3989 1 Qd5+! Nxd5 2 Bg4+! Ke5 3 Rf5+! Kd4 (if Ke6 4 exd5 mate) 4 Rxd5+ Kc4 5 Be2+ Kb4 6 a3 mate.

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