Reigning world chess champion D Gukesh has become new India no 1 after he emerged on the top in a nerve-wracking 72-move battle against Vincent Keymer on Wednesday (January 22).
Gukesh defeated German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer in Round 5 of the elite ongoing Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aa Zee in Netherlands. It also turned out to be the longest game of Round 5 in the Masters section.
The win has also pushed Gukesh to the position of India’s new No. 1, as he edges past Arjun Erigaisi in the live ratings, which are updated real-time.
Gukesh, wearing a grey hoodie once again played with white pieces. He started off making some errors and the German got control early in the game. However, Gukesh’s reading of the game beat Keymer’s strategy of trying to tire the Indian out, and the German had to resign, according to news reports.
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Gukesh has gained seven Elo points to get his live rating up to 2784, and Erigaisi, who was India no 1 before this tournament, has lost 21.5 points and is at 2779.
Erigaisi, who was in the 2800 mark has been in poor form lately. In Wijk aan Zee, he lost three games and has drawn twice. He is positioned at joint-bottom with Leon Luke Mendonca.
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Meanwhile, Gukesh is currently unbeaten in the tournament. He has two wins in his battle with Anish Giri and Vincent Keymer, and three draws against Vladimir Fedoseev and Alexey Sarana.
The live ratings are expected to change, and it all hinges on whether Erigaisi makes a comeback. Then he could take his position back from Gukesh again. There are eight more swiss rounds to go, and potential playoffs.
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