World Chess Champion D Gukesh plays a huge blunder to lose to his fiercest rival

World Champion D Gukesh played a huge blunder to lose his sixth round game of Tata Steel Chess Masters 2026 at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands on Friday.

Gukesh threw away an exciting game against Uzbek star Nodirbek Abdusattorov, suffering his first defeat of the event.

The manner in which Gukesh lost the game shocked the chess world; it certainly stunned the various streamers following the event. It was the kind of blunder that even amateurs seldom make. It seemed like Gukesh had a brain fade at that moment.

The game was evenly poised with both players trying to find an opening until Gukesh played Rg5, a fateful move that immediately led to his defeat. He had essentially allowed Nodirbek to capture a free rook by moving the major piece away from a secure square.

Nodirbek glanced across the table and then quickly captured a pawn with his queen, giving a check. Once Gukesh had moved his King, the rook was waiting to captured for free. Gukesh had already realised his blunder and he did not wait to suffer longer and offered a handshake to signal his surrender by resignation.

Gukesh then sat with his face buried in his hand, while Nodirbek shook his head in disbelief. Gukesh and Nodirbek, two GenZ stars, are fierce rivals, who once played a bizarre endgame in a Freestyle Chess Grand Tour. The two defied conventional chess wisdom and played at least 22 moves from a position that was theoretically a dead draw in February 2025. That game showed how much the two want to compete and not give the other even a faint chance.

Gukesh had won his World Championship title when Ding Liren of China played a blunderous Rf2 in the decisive 14th classical game of their match in December 2024. Gukesh had reacted more or less the same way back then, but he had tears of joy. This time, he seemed numb. Chess can be brutal.