14-Year-Old Royal Beats Grandmaster; Gukesh, Adams Extend Lead

IM Shreyas Royal played like a veteran grandmaster as he defeated world number-40 GM Amin Tabatabaei in round three of the 2023 London Chess Classic. It was a wild day, as all three players who had won a day earlier slipped to defeat, while GMs Gukesh Dommaraju and Michael Adams won beautiful games to take a full-point lead. Only the game between GMs Luke McShane and Hans Niemann was drawn.

The London Chess Classic continues with round four on Monday, December 4, at 9:15 a.m. ET/15:15 CET/7:45 p.m. IST.

London Chess Classic Round 3 Results

There's a strong rumor that it's all but impossible to get an advantage with the white pieces nowadays against a well-prepared opponent, but the player moving first has scored a stunning nine wins to Black's zero in three rounds of the London Chess Classic. Let's start with 14-year-old Royal, who scored one of the biggest wins of his career on Sunday.

Royal 1 - 0 Tabatabaei  

Going into this event, Royal must have contemplated the possibility of a complete blowout. Every day he would be facing opponents hundreds of points higher-rated, and a bad start could easily make him food for the circling sharks. Instead he got on the scoreboard immediately with a draw and, despite an unfortunate loss in round two, has now stormed back to pick up a first full point.

The youngster's win over Tabatabaei, rated 254 points higher, was notable for the maturity of the performance. It felt as though Royal was the one outplaying a tactically-gifted young opponent by taking them into a simplified position where experience would tell. In fact, it's notable that until move 12 the young English star was following a game by GM Vasily Smyslov against GM Yuri Averbakh from the famous 1953 Candidates tournament. Smyslov went on to win that event and qualify for his first world championship match against GM Mikhail Botvinnik, though he didn't win the game. Royal would do better.

The tournament has already been a success for Royal, while if he keeps up this form a second GM norm for Christmas is well within reach.

London Chess Classic 2023 Round 3 starts soon, are you ready as we are!!! @schoolschess @london_chess @ChessAndBridge pic.twitter.com/6Kfd7kb98U

— Agnieszka Milewska (@AgaMilewska123) December 3, 2023

Gukesh 1 - 0 Volokitin

Sometimes chess is a simple game, and the formula that had worked for GM Mateusz Bartel the day before was just as effective for Candidates-spot-chasing Gukesh in round three.

This aged well twice https://t.co/sHpmqsCCsq

— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) December 3, 2023

Co-leader GM Andrei Volokitin had already been caught in a sacrificial opening line and spent 23 minutes on his 11th move, only to get hit by 12.g4!.

Volokitin would invest another 28 minutes and was ultimately put to the sword by some fantastic attacking play by Gukesh that was impossible to counter with so little time on the clock. 

This miniature is our Game of the Day, with analysis by GM Rafael Leitao below.

That win was great news for Gukesh's Candidates hopes, while GM Anish Giri can only watch and pray. At least he has a potential savior.

Gukesh now +2 through three rounds at the London Chess Classic, and if he wins sole first place he passes Anish for the FIDE Circuit lead.

However he's not the only player on +2... there is... another... pic.twitter.com/2MjFwFfVB0

— Chess by the Numbers (@ChessNumbers) December 3, 2023

Adams 1 - 0 Bartel

52-year-old Adams has been rolling back the years in London so far, and he scored a sparkling win over Bartel in round three. The final stages would begin with a rook sacrifice, only to end with a queen sacrifice.

That meant Adams kept pace with Gukesh, while the English number-one, GM Nikita Vitiugov, had another painful day at the office. 

Moussard 1 - 0 Vitiugov

In round two, Vitiugov let a completely winning position slip in a 78-move draw against Gukesh. A day later, he found himself losing a 77-move game against French GM Jules Moussard, just when it seemed as though he was the player who would pull off a great escape this time. The last critical moment came after 71.Kb4.

That loss for Vitiugov meant just one player has made all draws so far in London, GM Hans Niemann.

McShane ½ - ½ Niemann

After playing nine rounds in Zagreb and coming to London without a single day to rest, it's understandable that Niemann might want to take a breather, especially since the Tournament of Peace had been anything but peaceful.

That's seen him go for the notoriously drawish Berlin in both his games with the black pieces.

Hans, come on, man, we not gonna crush those egos when you play the Berlin every day.🤣

— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) December 3, 2023

GM Luke McShane went for the curious 10.Re2, only to play 11.Re1 a move later.

"Yeah, it slipped out of my hand, so I moved it back to e1 the next move!" GM Magnus Carlsen had joked in the post-game press conference after playing this in game three of the 2016 world championship match. Back then he almost won in a seven-hour epic, while this time there was nothing to see as the game swiftly ended in a draw. 

That means Gukesh and Adams are a full point ahead of four players on 50 percent, while the four players in last place have nevertheless picked up a respectable point from the first three rounds. Niemann-Royal, Vitiugov-Adams, and Gukesh-Moussard look like the games to watch in round four. 

Standings After Round 3

How to watch the 2023 London Chess Classic

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

The 2023 London Chess Classic is a 10-player classical all-play-all tournament taking place in London during December 1-10. The players compete for a £15,000 (~$19,000) top prize, with games starting at 9:15 a.m. ET/15:15 CET/7:45 p.m. IST.

Previous Coverage

• Round 2: Gukesh Escapes As Bartel, Tabatabaei, Volokitin Score 1st Wins
• Round 1: Gukesh Starts Candidates Mission With Win
• Gukesh Heads Field In London As Classic Chess Event Returns In December