Gukesh Wins Title On Tiebreak, Overtakes Giri In Candidates' Race

GM Gukesh Dommaraju defended a slightly inferior endgame successfully against GM Pentala Harikrishna and won the title on tiebreak from GM Arjun Erigaisi after the seventh and final round of the Chennai Grand Masters 2023. Arjun fired on all cylinders to play a complicated game even with the tournament title at stake and defeated GM Sanan Sjugirov in a determined effort. Gukesh thus moves closer to earning a berth at the Candidates Tournament 2024.

Another commendable effort of the day came from GM Parham Maghsoodloo who played aggressively with the black pieces and was rewarded with a blunder by his opponent GM Alexandr Predke in a tactically complex position. The game lasted just 22 moves.

In a surprising revelation after the tournament, Gukesh confessed that he was undecided about his participation in the World Rapid and Blitz 2023, and it is still a "50/50" decision.

Chennai Grand Masters Round  7 Results

• The Quick And Quizzical
• The Aggressive And Ambitious
• The Grand Game
• The Long Probe

The Quick And Quizzical

GM Pavel Eljanov's game against GM Levon Aronian was the first to end in a peaceful draw, which was a surprise. With Eljanov one of the three players following Gukesh by just half a point in the standings, one could have expected him to fight for the championship by playing aggressively, or at least keeping a long game going to "probe" his opponent and put him under pressure. After all, Aronian hadn't been victorious in the tournament in a single game, and was not showing any great form. Eljanov also had the white pieces.

In this background, his pivotal decision at a crucial moment was puzzling, to say the least.

It is a symmetrical position without any clear line of play for White. But one expected him to push for an edge here, banking on his bishop pair and Black's "wrong-colored" bishop in the middlegame, or even in the endgame. But Eljanov unexpectedly played 16.Rac1?!, allowing Aronian to equalize with 16...Qxd4, starting a simple tactical sequence leading to a quick draw. 

The Aggressive And Ambitious

The most power-packed game of the round was between Predke and Maghsoodloo. Predke had been winless in the tournament till this point while Maghsoodloo had been playing aggressively in all the games, and it was a full-fledged fight between these players in the last round.

With the incredible offer of two pawns for free—a Predke home improvement, the game erupted into complications here.

An incredible concept: Black aims to hide his king behind his own f-pawn in case of a white sacrifice with 20.Bxc6.

When he saw 22.Qb7?? played on the board, Maghsoodloo looked up at Predke for a moment, probably indicating surprise, and settled down to think. Probably after double-checking his calculations, he played the killer 22...Rh7!!, and again glanced at Predke, and Predke sank into thought, understanding that it was all over for him, before resigning. A dramatic end to a short but thrilling game.

Speaking after the game, Maghsoodloo confessed that the game was "so complicated," he needed to do "so much calculation," and it was a "very, very difficult game."

The Grand Game

For the capacity crowd turning out at the venue for the last round, the Arjun-Sjugirov encounter was the most entertaining encounter of the day. Wanting to win at all costs, Arjun played aggressively from the word go, and just a glance at the position after the 14th move was enough to be convinced that this was going to be a tough fight.

With the white king temporarily hanging around at f2, a volatile pawn structure all around, White taking it easy with development but being ahead in space, and the definite prospects for White for a future attack on the kingside, all the indications were that this was going to be an exciting affair.

And it got even better when Arjun started applying pressure on both sides of the board—always an indication of an advanced level of conducting the game.

This fascinating clash is our Game of the Day, analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below.

This game is a delight, an enigma that needs to be analyzed multiple times until it's better understood and appreciated.

—Rafael Leitao

Arjun needed to win the tournament outright to have any chances to qualify to the Candidates, but he sounded fine about the result by now.

The Long Probe

One game was undoubtedly the most important of the event and would decide the final standings in a big way. Being tied in the second point group behind Gukesh, it was expected that Harikrishna would push for a win against Gukesh. But the curious question was the territory and the method they would choose. Aggressive? Safe? Deep Preparation? Originality? 

But as the game began, it became obvious that it was Harikrishna who would be calling the shots. Choosing a harmless-looking variation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted with queens exchanged early, Hari decided to keep it a game for two results: keeping a draw in hand, he would be probing Gukesh long in a slightly advantageous endgame.

But Gukesh kept his nerves under control, and when he played the concrete 16...Bxc4, giving up the bishop pair but ensuring that his position was without weaknesses, it looked as if Black had solved his problems.

But Harikrishna started gradually pushing for an advantage after this, and it seemed like Gukesh was coming under some pressure too. At this point, Gukesh's trainer, GM Vishnu Prasanna joined the live commentary, and even sounded apprehensive about his ward's position: "Playing Harikrishna in this ending? That's a challenge!"

But Gukesh showed his defensive skills by achieving a fortress by the 31st move, and it was time to sign the peace treaty.

Talking after the game, a relieved Gukesh confessed: "It was really good. I finally managed to enjoy myself in a tournament! Obviously, the last few months have been very stressful."

I finally managed to enjoy myself in a tournament! Obviously, the last few months have been very stressful

—Gukesh Dommaraju

What was Prasanna's advice for Gukesh to succeed in aiming for a berth in the Candidates? "I said you first of all have to play well to qualify!... Try to find what used to work well for you, and try to put the idea of the Candidates slightly behind in your head. It should be in your head, but it should not be the dominant thing." Wise words.

Try to put the idea of the Candidates slightly behind in your head. It should be in your head but it should not be the dominant thing.

—Vishnu Prasanna

Final Standings

Now Gukesh has overtaken GM Anish Giri in the race to take a Candidates spot via the FIDE Circuit. Giri is still in with a chance, though he now needs to finish in the top-three in the World Rapid Championship, or win the World Blitz, while for Arjun only a win in the World Rapid will do. The world number-one felt that was curious, since he considers the blitz tougher to win.

I have no horse in this race, but in my opinion the world blitz is much harder to win (more rounds) and should therefore give more circuit points than world rapid despite the shorter time control https://t.co/Tp5A6Zynew

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) December 21, 2023

How to review the Chennai Grand Masters 2023

You can find all the games and results of the tournament on our live events platform by following this link.

The Chennai Grand Masters 2023 is an eight-player all-play-all tournament in Chennai, India, held during December 15-21. The strongest classical invitational tournament ever held in India, with a prize fund is $60,000, with $18,000 for first place.

Previous Coverage

• Gukesh Leads Before Final Round, Vies For Candidates Spot
• Gukesh Surges Ahead On Day Of Spectators' Delight
• Maiden Victories For Gukesh, Maghsoodloo
• Arjun Defeats Predke In Day Of Seesaw Battles
• Harikrishna, Sjugirov In Joint Lead After Day Of Fierce Fights
• Harikrishna, Eljanov Start With Wins Over Candidate Hopefuls
• Candidates Race: Gukesh, Erigaisi Get Final Chance In Last-Minute Super Tournament