‘Gukesh is not even 20 yet’: Grand Swiss was an eye-opener in many ways

NEW DELHI: Over the past fewer years, the FIDE Grand Swiss has built a estimation astir agelong games, precocious stakes, and stories that plaything betwixt fairy communicative and heartbreak.The 2025 variation successful Samarkand, Uzbekistan was nary different.The lawsuit crowned Anish Giri (Open) and Vaishali Rameshbabu (Women's), produced an improbable Candidates qualifier successful Matthias Bluebaum, and reminded america of some the brilliance and vulnerability of the reigning satellite champion, Gukesh Dommaraju. But much than results, the tourney was astir perspectives.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Overall, I deliberation Grand Swiss was a dainty to follow… from an acquisition perspective, from a chess coaching and learning perspective, it was a treasure. The games were incredibly fighting, truthful specified a divers scope of players with truthful galore games to look guardant to, a batch of fight,” GM Srinath Narayanan tells TimesofIndia.com.

Gukesh’s stumble: A interest for the satellite champion?

For Gukesh, Samarkand was harsh.A tally of 3 consecutive losses derailed his tournament, leaving him extracurricular the apical 40. Following the Grand Swiss, wherever helium mislaid astir 15 standing points, the 19-year-old present finds himself extracurricular the apical 10 successful unrecorded satellite rankings.But contempt a nightmarish tournament, Srinath adds perspective: “Gukesh’s show doesn’t needfully request to beryllium seen done the lens of him being a satellite champion, though of people that unit is ever determination connected him, whether we similar it oregon not.

"Having said that, we shouldn’t hide that helium is simply a increasing chess subordinate and he’s not adjacent 20 yet. He’s inactive successful his teens, and this tourney is portion of his maturation process.

"It was not rather the dominating show you would expect from his level, but besides not thing overly concerning. It’s conscionable however the chess country is close now. There are rather a fewer beardown players who beryllium successful the apical 10, and I don’t deliberation this was specified a large anomaly."If Gukesh wasn’t the satellite champion, if helium were conscionable a 2750 oregon 2770-rated player, radical wouldn’t rise truthful galore eyebrows implicit this performance. I’m definite he’ll instrumentality it successful his stride, support improving arsenic a player, and support getting stronger.”

India’s mixed fortunes, Vaishali’s repetition magic

The Indian camp, arsenic a pack, saw contrasting outcomes. While satellite champion D Gukesh faltered connected aggregate occasions, Vaishali continued her fairy communicative by winning the women’s Grand Swiss for the 2nd clip successful a row.If her 2023 triumph was smooth, this clip she needed resilience aft a torrid tourney astatine the Chennai Grand Masters.Srinath says: “The Indian show was wide a mixed bag, but determination were a batch of positives."One is Vaishali winning it for the 2nd clip successful a row. That is incredibly bully to see. And Harika was besides rather solid, I felt.

"In the Open, Nihal played exceptionally well, Pranav V was precise good, Aditya Mittal was precise good. So determination were rather bully performances crossed the board.”As of now, India’s men whitethorn not person claimed Candidates spots, but the extent of talent, crossed some unfastened and women’s fields, was evident. While Praggnanandhaa volition beryllium aiming to suffice for the 2026 Candidates by topping the FIDE Circuit, a top-three decorativeness successful the World Cup, scheduled successful Goa this October-November, could beryllium the champion way for idiosyncratic similar Arjun Erigaisi to unafraid a spot successful the Candidates.

Anish Giri: The deserving winner

For years, existent Dutch No. 1 Giri has been the nearly-man of elite chess, ever solid, often close, but not rather astatine the summit.In Samarkand, helium flipped that publication with an unbeaten 8.0 score, taking archetypal place, pocketing the $90,000 prize wealth and punching his summons backmost to the Candidates.

Through a dependable show of confidence, helium ne'er overpressed, yet erstwhile opportunities came, helium converted without hesitation.Srinath puts it simply: “Anish was rather coagulated throughout, and helium took his chances. He played with a batch of maturity. He took his chances erstwhile helium got them. So helium is simply a well-deserved winner.”

Matthias Bluebaum proves wherefore Grand Swiss matters

Every variation of the Grand Swiss seems to nutrient a astonishment qualifier, and this clip it was Matthias Bluebaum, the 32nd effect from Germany.His victories implicit Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi were already impressive, but surviving against Vincent Keymer from a losing presumption was decisive.That azygous turnaround not lone altered his destiny but besides reshaped Germany’s chess history, making Bluebaum the archetypal German successful 34 years to suffice for the Candidates.

Srinath explains, “Matthias Bluebaum was exceptionally bully for astir of the tournament. I deliberation the turning constituent came successful his crippled against Vincent Keymer astatine the 54…Nxg3 moment."Vincent seemed to beryllium coasting and looked acceptable to win, but that 1 lapse turned the crippled successful Bluebaum's favour. It was astir similar a nonstop tiebreak betwixt them. That’s wherefore his qualification is truthful exciting; a tourney similar the Grand Swiss gives players from the wider apical 100, those extracurricular the established elite, the accidental to beryllium themselves and interruption through.”

Teenagers marque their mark

The Grand Swiss is simply a fertile crushed for prodigies, and this twelvemonth a trio stood out.16-year-old American GM Abhimanyu Mishra bushed the reigning satellite champion Gukesh, 15-year-old Andy Woodward defeated giants similar Levon Aronian, and 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus stunned galore with his poise, subsequently earning praise from nary different than World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.

The interaction was larger than idiosyncratic wins: it signalled that a caller procreation is acceptable to unsettle the hierarchy.Srinath highlights this broader theme: “The astir inspiring happening was the show of the younger generation, truthful galore heartening performances and truthful galore radical who are usually not successful the spotlight but showed exceptional chess.”

Women successful the Open

FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 victor Divya Deshmukh and Aleksandra Goryachkina opted to trial themselves successful the Open tract alternatively than the women’s conception and proved a point.Divya, successful particular, impressed with her fearlessness, producing warring games adjacent against the satellite champion.“Divya’s play was precise refreshing. She faced truthful galore apical players, including the satellite champion, and inactive came distant with beardown games. That shows fantastic character. She has ever had this potential, but it was bully to spot her surviving up to it."It was besides bully to spot Goryachkina’s show successful the aforesaid spirit. Both of them proved they belonged successful the Open, with nary existent quality successful level. I retrieve Harika besides erstwhile played the Grand Swiss successful the Open conception and produced a likewise coagulated performance. These examples, I hope, animate much girls and women to play successful the Open and amusement that determination truly is nary quality successful playing strength.”