Indian chess Grandmaster D Gukesh managed to hold World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana to a quick draw in the third round of the prestigious Tata Steel Masters at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, on Monday. Playing with the white pieces, Caruana opted for a draw by repetition after just 24 moves, bringing the game to a quick end. This result left Gukesh, currently ranked fifth in the world with a FIDE rating of 2777, unbeaten in the tournament’s 14-player round-robin format.
Gukesh had an eventful start to his campaign, securing a dramatic victory in the opening round against local favorite Anish Giri. From a precarious position, Gukesh managed to turn the tables, while Giri failed to capitalize on a winning opportunity, resulting in a thrilling time scramble that kept spectators on edge. Gukesh followed up with a draw in his second-round match against Vladimir Fedoseev. Caruana, who had been following the games closely, admitted that watching Gukesh’s fight against Giri was so intense that it raised his own heart rate. Caruana shared that he felt his pulse quicken while watching the match unfold and had to calm himself down after the game concluded.
With his 2803 FIDE rating, Caruana is just behind Magnus Carlsen, the five-time World Champion, in the rankings. However, Carlsen is not participating in this year’s Tata Steel Masters. Gukesh will now face Alexey Sarana with black pieces in round four on Tuesday.
