World champion Gukesh Dommaraju continued his poor run at the Grand Swiss 2025 with back-to-back defeats against lower-rated opponents, including Greek player Nikolas Theodorou.
Gukesh (Elo 2767) suffered two straight losses in Samarkand. First to Abhimanyu Mishra (2611), then to Theodorou (2646). At 19, he became the first reigning champion to lose consecutive classical games to opponents rated more than 100 Elo lower.
On September 9, Gukesh played white against Theodorou in round six, facing the Petrov’s Defense. He gained an early time advantage, but in a tense middlegame took unnecessary risks. Despite having more than 31 minutes left on the clock, the Indian miscalculated. Theodorou, nearly out of time, managed to hold on and later convert his advantage in a rook endgame.
Theodorou, 24, is having the best run of his career. He once entered the world’s top 100 and has beaten elite names such as Fabiano Caruana and Arjun Erigaisi. Now, he has added the world champion to his list.
After the defeat, Gukesh quietly rearranged his pieces and walked straight back to his hotel. Witnesses said he muttered angrily to himself. Both Mishra and Theodorou are considered rising stars, but still below Gukesh in reputation. His risky approach, however, cost him dearly.
Theodorou: “I had never played a world champion before”
Speaking after the match, Theodorou admitted he was surprised by Gukesh’s choice of opening.
“He surprised me right out of the opening with this weird c5 move, which I think is extremely rare. I had never seen it before in that position,” Theodorou said. “At some point, I messed up and thought it should be a draw, but he started checking my king, lost time, and I managed to escape. After time control, I don’t think he had any chances to save it.”
The Greek grandmaster also revealed a curious incident. “He even made an incorrect claim for a threefold repetition, so I got two extra minutes. That helped me a lot near time control.”
Asked about playing the world champion, Theodorou admitted it was a special moment. “It’s my first time against a world champion in classical. Of course, it felt special, but I tried not to think too much about people watching.”
With this victory, Theodorou joined what commentators call the “Chigorin club” – players who have beaten a reigning world champion in classical chess. “I didn’t know about that, but it feels good,” he said with a smile.
Looking ahead, Theodorou remained modest. “I haven’t played too many top players yet, maybe fewer than ten. It’s good to challenge myself against such great opposition. For now, I just want to rest and prepare for the next rounds.”
Pressure on Gukesh
The Grand Swiss 2025 awards two spots for the Candidates Tournament 2026. While Gukesh’s defeats won’t affect his qualification for the World Championship final, they hurt his Elo and confidence. He has lost 8.6 Elo so far, widening the gap with Magnus Carlsen’s peak rating to 81 points.
Since becoming champion at the end of 2024, Gukesh has played 47 classical games, scoring 13 wins, 23 draws, and 11 losses. He has dropped from world number three to six. Comparisons have already been made with Ding Liren, who also struggled after winning the title, losing four straight games at Norway Chess 2024.
After six rounds in Samarkand, Iranian Parham Maghsoodloo leads with 5 points. Five players follow with 4.5, including Mishra, Erigaisi, Matthias Bluebaum, Anish Giri and Nihal Sarin. Gukesh, with 3 points, sits in 53rd place.
FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 live
I’m Xuan Binh, the founder of Attacking Chess, and the Deputy Head of Communications at the Vietnam Chess Federation (VCF). My chess.com and lichess rating is above 2300, in both blitz and bullet. Follow me on Twitter (X).
