D Gukesh gets new challenge from Indian-origin American GM: 'I'm not inferior, at par with the world's best'
It was a sensational encounter as it caught the attention of almost all the Grandmasters present in the venue, and at the end Abhimanyu Mishra beat D Gukesh.
Indian-origin American GM Abhimanyu Mishra recently scripted history, defeating D Gukesh to become the youngest player to defeat a reigning world champion in a classical game. The win came in the fifth round of the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand.
It was a sensational encounter as it caught the attention of almost all the Grandmasters present in the venue. The likes of Yagiz Kaan Ergodmus, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Kateryna Lagno were seen taking a break from their own games to check on Gukesh's clash vs Mishra. The American GM put Gukesh under immense pressure from the 13th move onwards. By the 20th move, it looked like Gukesh had pulled another rescue act, but in move 37, he was in trouble again. The 19-year-old had to finally resign on the 61st move.
Also Read: Viswanathan Anand slams D Gukesh critics for trying ‘to make content’ after Uzbek GM's remark: ‘Is that controversial?’
Abhimanyu Mishra breaks silence on D Gukesh victory
In an earlier round, Mishra had also held R Praggnanandhaa to a draw. Speaking to FIDE after his win against Gukesh, he said, "Even though I won, it doesn’t feel as pleasing as my previous games in the tournament. It wasn’t a very clean game."
"But the tournament is going better than I could have possibly imagined. If I keep up this form I have a very real chance of winning the tournament. Yesterday too, I made some errors against Pragg. But I never felt like I was inferior to these players (Gukesh and Pragg). I think I am at par with them."
Meanwhile, in an interview with Lichess, he said, "I’ve definitely learnt a lot from his style of play. I like his approach to openings. For example, in Candidates, he played all this h6 stuff against Nijat Abasov. I’ve incorporated some of his ideas into my own repertoire."
"Going into this game I didn’t think I was such a huge underdog. In my game against Pragg yesterday, I made some irrational decisions. But I feel like if I can control my nerves, I’m at par with the world’s best. That’s what happened today, I was ready to go into a very, very sharp position."
