World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju is leading the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown despite losing his opening game to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen—a defeat that came in a drawn position.
The rapid event, held at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri, features four of the world’s top players: Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and the 19-year-old world champion Gukesh, currently ranked No. 11. The total prize fund is $412,000, and players compete in a double round-robin over three days. Each day, the point value for a win increases—from one on day one, to two on day two, and three on the final day—encouraging fighting chess.
A Missed Miracle
In the opening round, Gukesh had the white pieces against Carlsen. The Norwegian took the initiative in the middlegame by sacrificing a bishop on c5 on move 31, putting Gukesh under heavy pressure. Gukesh defended calmly at first, but Carlsen soon offered another sacrifice—a knight on f4—to open attacking lines toward the white king.
According to engines, the position was still equal if Gukesh had found the brilliant 35.Ne3!, a queen sacrifice that would have forced a draw. But with less than ten seconds left on his clock, the young champion didn’t see it. Believing his position was lost, he pressed his clock and resigned.
“I missed the idea of knight e3—it’s actually very funny,” Gukesh later said, smiling about the miss in his post-game interview.
In reality, Carlsen’s 34…Nf4?? was a serious mistake. The only winning move was 34…Nh4!, which would have stopped the knight’s retreat to e3 and maintained a mating attack. Ironically, it was Carlsen—not Gukesh—who blundered last, but the Indian prodigy didn’t have the time to spot it. That’s probably the “Magnus effect”.
Recovering Like a Champion
The loss didn’t shake Gukesh’s composure. He drew with Carlsen in the second game and went on to dominate the rest of the day—beating Nakamura once, drawing another, and defeating Caruana in both of their games.
Against Nakamura, Gukesh placed a “bone-in-the-throat” bishop on d3, completely restricting Black’s pieces. His games with Caruana were even more spectacular: in one, he sacrificed both a rook and a minor piece to launch a crushing attack, while in another he played the brilliant 33.Bf6!!, a bishop sacrifice leading to a forced mate.
Gukesh finished the day on four points, ahead of Carlsen (3.5), Nakamura (3), and Caruana (1.5). Despite losing one game, his resilience and fighting spirit kept him in control of the leaderboard.
Carlsen, meanwhile, admitted that he wasn’t pleased with his performance.
“My level of play was extremely poor,” he said. “I probably scored two more points than I deserved.”
A Promising Start
The Champions Showdown marks the final event of a packed October for the Saint Louis Chess Club, celebrating ten years of the Grand Chess Tour. After one dramatic day, the narrative is already clear: even when he loses, Gukesh finds a way to win the day.
With two rounds remaining and points doubling and tripling in value, the 19-year-old world champion has shown once again why he’s not just the youngest world champion in history—but also one of the most dangerous under pressure.
Watch Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown live here
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).
