 "A defeat to Magnus Carlsen in the opening game did not stop D Gukesh from grabbing the lead at the end of Day 1 at Clutch Chess Champions Showdown 2025. Image: Saint Louis Chess Club")
Chess world champion D Gukesh of India laid down the marker on Day 1 of the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown 2025 at the Saint Louis Chess Club, leading the standings ahead of Magnus Carlsen with four points from six rapid games on Monday. The Clutch Chess Champions Showdown 2025 is the highest-rated chess tournament of the year, comprising the world’s top three players – world No 1 Carlsen (2839), world No 2 Hikaru Nakamura (2816), world No 3 Fabiano Caruana (2789) and the world champion Gukesh (2752), who is currently ranked 11th in the FIDE ranking.
Gukesh, who had been struggling for form recently and dropped out of the top 10 in the world earlier this year after a horrific FIDE Grand Swiss, stunned the highest-rated field in the world on Day 1 to emerge as the frontrunner despite losing his opening match to Carlsen.
Gukesh stuns strong field to take lead at the Clutch Chess 2025
Gukesh, who isn’t known for his prowess in the rapid format, lost the opener to Carlsen in 40 moves despite playing with white pieces. He quickly bounced back to secure a draw in Game 2 of Round 1, holding Carlsen to a draw with black pieces in a 47-move game.
In Game 1 of Round 2, Gukesh forced Nakamura to resign after 47 moves despite the American Grandmaster having the advantage of the white pieces. The second game between them ended in a draw.
The 19-year-old Chennai Grandmaster, Gukesh, secured his best performance in Round 3 as he earned back-to-back victories over Fabiano to lead the standings on Day 1. Carlsen is second in the table with 3.5 points, followed by Nakamura (3) and Fabiano (1.5).
Despite being second in the table, it wasn’t a great day for Carlsen, who won just two games and suffered a defeat to Nakamura.
Each player will take part in six games on Days 2 and 3. The player with the highest number of points will win the tournament. In case of a tie, playoffs will be held. The interesting thing about the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown 2025 is that the points awarded for a win increase each day. On Day 2, players will earn two points for a win, compared to one point on Day 1.
As a result of winning three out of six matches on the opening day, Gukesh also clinched $3,000 in bonus prize money. The winner of the tournament would earn $120,000.