New Delhi, Aug 14(HS): Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh produced a spirited fightback on the final day of the Rapid section at the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, jumping from sixth place to fourth with a string of impressive results.
The reigning Classical World Chess Champion faced an all-American line-up in Wednesday’s three decisive rounds. He began the day with a setback, losing with the white pieces to Leinier Dominguez. However, Gukesh roared back in style — first defeating former World No. 2 Wesley So, then delivering the upset of the day by toppling tournament leader Fabiano Caruana.
With this late surge, Gukesh has moved to 10 points, now trailing only Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (11 points), Levon Aronian (13), and leader Caruana (14) in the standings.
The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz is the fourth leg of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour and the final rapid-and-blitz event of the season. The 10-player tournament follows a single round-robin format in the Rapid section, awarding 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw. After nine rapid rounds, players move to the Blitz segment — a double round robin — where a win is worth 1 point and a draw 0.5 points. The combined highest scorer across both formats will be crowned champion.
With the Blitz rounds looming, Gukesh has placed himself firmly in the hunt, setting the stage for a thrilling finale in St. Louis.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
