In Samarkand, Uzbekistan, history was made in Round 5 of the FIDE Grand Swiss. 16-year-old American grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra, the world’s youngest GM in history, defeated reigning world champion Dommaraju Gukesh after a tense 61-move battle. It was a symbolic clash: the youngest GM ever against the youngest world champion ever. And this time, youth prevailed against youth.
A sharp Italian gone wrong
The game began as a Giuoco Pianissimo – quiet in name, but quickly chaotic in execution. Mishra’s 5. Bg5 invited early skirmishes, and Gukesh responded ambitiously with 9…g5. That decision unbalanced the position, pushing into sharp territory far from the calm structures typical of the Italian.
The turning point came on move 12, when Mishra opted for the provocative 12. dxe5. Objectively, it wasn’t the cleanest continuation – engines preferred 12. h4 – but Gukesh faltered in response. His 12…g4?? left Black’s kingside overextended and allowed Mishra to counter immediately with 13. exd6 and 14. dxc7, planting a dangerous passed pawn deep in Black’s camp.
From there, Mishra had the advantage. Gukesh tried to untangle with …Qe7 and …Bg4, but White’s bishop on d6 and queen activity forced the champion into defensive contortions.
Nerves, time pressure, and the decisive mistake
Mishra did not play flawlessly. His 20. Nd4?? temporarily let Gukesh back into the game, and by the middlegame the position equalized after a queen trade. But both players were burning clock, racing to reach move 40.
Then came the critical moment. On move 31, Gukesh played the inaccurate …Rg6?, missing the defensive resource …Rh8. This slip gave Mishra renewed chances. Though the American teenager initially failed to capitalize (32. Rff7? allowed equality again), his 38. Bd4! was a masterstroke under pressure – reinforcing his e-pawn and setting up active rook play.
By the time the players reached move 40, Mishra had complete control. Gukesh, still fighting in a rook-and-pawn endgame, blundered further with 36…Ne2+ and 37…Nef4, handing Mishra a clear path to victory. The game ended on move 61, fittingly matching Mishra’s 61-game undefeated streak.
A milestone victory
The result is not just another upset. It marks the first time Mishra has defeated a reigning world champion, making him the youngest player in history to do so. It also pushed his tournament score to 4/5, with previous wins over Alexey Sarana and Yu Yangyi, and draws against Nodirbek Yakubboev and Praggnanandhaa.
On social media, the significance was not lost. “The youngest GM ever beat the youngest world champion ever,” one fan wrote. Another noted the poetry: “This game lasted 61 moves too,” pointing to Mishra’s 61-game unbeaten streak.
Even the jokes flowed freely. “Gukesh is getting old and washed,” one user quipped, despite the world champion being only 19. Another added: “The future is today, old man,” highlighting how the next generation of prodigies is already pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in elite chess.
Who is Mishra?
Abhimanyu Mishra (born February 5, 2009, in Long Branch, New Jersey) is an American chess grandmaster and widely recognized prodigy. He made global headlines in June 2021 by becoming the youngest grandmaster in chess history, achieving the title at 12 years, 4 months and 25 days – breaking Sergey Karjakin’s long-standing record.
Mishra had already set multiple milestones before then. At age seven, he became the youngest player to reach a USCF rating of 2000. In 2019, he earned the International Master title at just 10 years and 9 months, surpassing the previous record set by Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.
His path to the GM title included a series of strong performances in Budapest tournaments during 2021, where he scored three GM norms within months. While his record-breaking feat sparked debate over the structure of norm tournaments, Mishra’s talent was recognized across the chess world. Both former record holder Karjakin and then-world champion Magnus Carlsen publicly congratulated him.
Since then, Mishra has built on his early promise. He won the 2022 St. Louis Spring Chess Classic B with a dominant 7/9 score, placed second at the 2023 TePe Sigeman & Co. with a performance rating above 2700, and captured the 2023 U.S. Junior Championship, earning a spot in the U.S. Championship. That same year, he tied for second in the U.S. Championship and competed in the FIDE Grand Swiss.
As of September 2025, Mishra is rated 2611, with a peak of 2634 in May 2024. At just 16 years old, he continues to be regarded as one of the brightest rising stars in world chess.
What it means
For Mishra, it’s a career-defining victory – not just because of who he beat, but how he handled the nerves of a messy opening, time trouble, and endgame conversion against the world’s best. For Gukesh, the loss underscores the fine margins at this level. His fighting spirit, the same over-ambition that won him the world championship, also cost him today.
The Grand Swiss is far from over, but Round 5 will be remembered as the day Abhimanyu Mishra stepped out of the shadow of being merely “the youngest GM ever” and showed he can take down the very top.
In Samarkand, the future of chess isn’t just tomorrow. It’s here already.
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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).
