If you’re wondering about Gukesh D’s downfall at the FIDE World Rapid Chess 2025 in Doha, this young World Champion started strong but faced some real twists. The 13-round Swiss event tested everyone’s nerves with 15-minute games plus a 10-second increment, and Gukesh kept fans on edge right till the end. Let’s break it down day by day to see exactly where he landed.
World Rapid Chess 2025 Day 1: Joint Lead Glory
Gukesh D kicked off Day 1 like a boss, grinding out a hard-fought draw in round one against Canada’s Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux after saving a tough spot. From there, it was pure firepower; he smashed Sergey Drygalov, Nikita Petrov, Alan Pichot, and Sina Movahed in a row for four straight wins. That put him at 4.5/5 points, sharing the lead with Magnus Carlsen, Arjun Erigaisi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Vladislav Artemiev. For a guy seeded outside the top ten, this was something to cheer about, proving his rapid game had levelled up.
World Rapid Chess 2025 Day 2: Solid but Shaky Fight
Day 2 brought the heat with four more rounds, and Gukesh D stayed in the hunt at joint seventh with 6.5/9 points alongside Arjun and others. He drew early against Anish Giri and Alexey Sarana, showing grit in long battles, then beat David Anton in a rollercoaster. But Nodirbek Abdusattorov dismantled him in round nine with a King’s Indian Attack masterclass, Gukesh blundered on move 34 and dropped the full point. Still, he hung tough, just one point off leaders like Artemiev and Hans Niemann.
World Rapid Chess 2025 Day 3: What Went Wrong
Day 3 sealed the drama over four rounds, but things slipped for Gukesh. While Carlsen rampaged with wins, Gukesh couldn’t keep pace, likely hit by tight games and time pressure in the Swiss pairings against top seeds. Key losses or draws pulled him back from the 9-point pack, think tough defences turning sour, much like his day-two stumble. The field was brutal, with prodigies like Yagiz Erdogmus slaying giants, and Gukesh ended with 8.5 points total, outside the medals.
Final Standings Spot
In the end, Gukesh D tied for 20th in the open section with 8.5/13 points, behind Magnus Carlsen‘s dominant 10.5, Artemiev and Arjun at 9.5, and the 9-point group like Vachier-Lagrave. His rating performance hit 2700, solid for the chaos, but no podium this time. Teammate Arjun grabbed bronze via tiebreaks, a bright spot for India.
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Gukesh’s run showed heart, strong starts, smart saves, but Rapid’s speed exposed small slips. With the blitz ahead, expect the Chennai kid to bounce back stronger. Stay tuned, chess fans!
Also read: PM Narendra Modi Congratulates All Indian Bronze At Rapid Chess 2025
