Gukesh loses to Firouzja, ends last in Freestyle play-off

Hamburg (Germany), Feb 14: World champion D Gukesh finished last after losing to Iranian-French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in the second game of their seventh-place playoff match at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam here.
Gukesh thus concluded his forgettable campaign in the tournament at Weissenhaus resort without a single win.
After a lost battle that ended in a draw on the first day, the ball was in Gukesh’s court to do well as the white pieces, but clearly, the world champion had run out of steam to lose in 30 moves.
The test of time started in the middle game when Gukesh made a mistake and had to part with his queen for two pieces. While Firouzja made good use of his material advantage.
Meanwhile, local favourite Vincent Keymer won the first edition despite being touted as a rookie at the start.
The German winning the first leg over many of his fancied rivals is good news for the event’s sponsors who started it keeping in mind the chess connoisseurs.
It is no secret that FIDE, the world’s apex chess body, does not like Chess 960, also known as Fischer Random Chess, or the Freestyle Chess. But it is here to stay. (PTI)