World chess champion Gukesh blunders to lose again to his fiercest Gen Z rival

World Champion D Gukesh slipped up again against his fiercest fellow-Gen Z rival Nodirbek Abdusattorov to lose a round-five game in the Prague International Chess Championship.

Gukesh had an edge in the middle game, but Abdusattorov bounced back. With the game pushing toward an exciting queen ending, Gukesh made a blunder, allowing his opponent to make a masterful pawn push.

It was move 69, and the Indian star realised his position was lost, so he resigned. Gukesh has yet to win a game in the event, losing twice and drawing on three other occasions to be left with 1.5 points.

Abdusattorov has moved to the second position with 3.5 points, trailing Dutchman Jorden van Foreest by half a point.

Gukesh (19) and Abdusattorov (21) are two of the most exciting young talents at the highest level. The two have beaten each other on a few occasions, with Gukesh getting the better of Abdusattorov in a wild game in the Sinquefield Cup last August, while Uzbek GM avenged that loss in the Tata Steel Chess Masters in January this year.

Gukesh and GM Aravindh Chithambaram are the two Indian stars in the 10-player field. Chithambaram scored a second-round win over Hans Moke Niemann but lost three games, the latest against David Anton, to be 10th on 1.5 points.