Tata Steel Masters: Gukesh loses twice, Abdusattorov takes charge

The 88th Tata Steel Chess Masters turned into a dramatic day for India’s World Chess Champion D. Gukesh , who suffered a rare and costly lapse in concentration against Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the sixth round. The game appeared balanced and headed toward a draw when Gukesh made a surprising error, playing 36…Rg5?? and immediately losing his rook. Abdusattorov capitalised instantly with 37.Qxf6+ , forcing Gukesh to resign. The mistake, described by analysts as a “blind spot”, was the first major error of this kind in Gukesh’s career since becoming a grandmaster, making it all the more shocking for fans and chess followers.

The loss handed Abdusattorov a clear lead with 4.5 points , while Gukesh was left trailing with 3 points . The defeat also marked a significant psychological blow as the tournament enters its crucial phase. Earlier, Gukesh had broken his draw streak by defeating Thai Dai Van Nguyen in Round 5, but the blunder has now pushed him into a fight for recovery.

In the same round, Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi managed to draw with Matthias Bluebaum , who missed a winning sequence, allowing Arjun to escape with half a point. R Praggnanandhaa also drew with Vladimir Fedoseev , while Javokhir Sindarov was held to a draw by Aravindh Chithambaram . Vincent Keymer beat Hans Moke Niemann , and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus scored a notable win over Jorden van Foreest .

With seven rounds remaining, Abdusattorov leads the field, followed by Sindarov at 4 points. Gukesh and others remain close behind, making the title race still wide open. The focus now shifts to how Gukesh responds to this rare setback in the coming rounds.