SuperUnited Rapid 2024 R4-6: Gukesh bounces back strong by winning against MVL and Nepomniachtchi
D Gukesh made a strong comeback on the second day of Grand Chess Tour SuperUnited Rapid 2024. He started by defeating the previous day leader, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA). The former World Blitz champion, blundered a mate in four which cost him the game. In Round 5, Gukesh had a topsy-turvy game against Vidit Gujrathi. It could have gone either player's way. However, it ended in a draw by perpetual check. In Round 6, Gukesh defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi by doing a beautiful king shuffle from queenside to the kingside. Fabiano Caruana (USA) emerged sole leader 9/12. Wesley So (USA) is at 8/12. They are followed by Gukesh, MVL and Alireza Firouzja (FRA) at 7/12. Both Gukesh and Caruana scored 5/6 on day two. The final day of Rapid will start with Gukesh vs Caruana in Round 7. It starts today from 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour
Caruana emerges sole leader
Both Fabiano Caruana and D Gukesh had a great day. They scored 5/6, means two wins and a draw each. The only time Caruana was in danger was against Wesley So in Round 6. However, he managed to salvage a draw. One minute of silence was observed before the start of the game to pay respects to Sigrun Øen, mother of World no.1 - Magnus Carlsen.
Round 4: Vachier-Lagrave - Gukesh: 0-2
Previous day sole leader, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 2747) had a great position. His opponent, D Gukesh (2647) fought back and kept creating chances. The former World Blitz champion, fell into a mate in four.
To prevent Qf3+ and potential checkmate threats, 43.Rf1 would have been fine for White. Instead, 43.Rh1?? allowed Qf3+ and it was over as checkmate was inevitable.
Firouzja - Giri: 2-0
Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 2724) outplayed Anish Giri (NED, 2679) in the endgame.
Vidit - So
The long double knight vs double bishop endgame ideally should have ended in a draw. However, in a practical game especially when time is low, anything can happen. Vidit Gujrathi (2701) made the mistake of playing 99.Ke2? when 99.Nxd5 Kxg4 100.Ne3 Bxe3 101.Kxe3 Bxf5/Kxf5 both leads to a draw, thanks to the inevitable a5 threat.
Round 5: Gukesh - Vidit: 1-1
Gukesh and Vidit had a crazy game. It could have gone either player's way. Both of them had their fair share of winning chances.
Black's queen is trapped but it's not completely over yet. 17...Qxf1 18.Qxf1 gxh4 19.Qe2 hxg3+ Black is very much in the fight. In fact, he even got winning chances later. However, he missed it, just like his opponent and the game ended in a draw by perpetual check.
Solve questions posed by IM Sagar Shah on our interactive platform - ChessRanga.
Round 6: Gukesh - Nepomniachtchi: 2-0
Last year, at the same event, Gukesh drew against Ian Nepomniachtchi (2754). This time, the current World Championship Challenger was determined to have a different score.
Gukesh did a fantastic king shift from c8 to g6 where it is much more safe. It allowed Black to freely use his major pieces and exploit White's weak back rank. White's refusal to trade queens only hastened his demise.
Replay live stream
Replay Round 4-6 games
Round 6 results
| Bo. | Name | Result | Name | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM | Firouzja, Alireza | ½ - ½ | GM | Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime | PGN | ||
| 2 | GM | Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi | ½ - ½ | GM | Giri, Anish | PGN | ||
| 3 | GM | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | 0 - 1 | GM | Gukesh, D | PGN | ||
| 4 | GM | Caruana, Fabiano | ½ - ½ | GM | So, Wesley | PGN | ||
| 5 | GM | Aronian, Levon | 1 - 0 | GM | Saric, Ivan | PGN |
Standings after Round 6
Round 7 pairings
| Bo. | Name | Result | Name | PGN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM | Saric, Ivan | GM | Firouzja, Alireza | ||||
| 2 | GM | So, Wesley | GM | Aronian, Levon | ||||
| 3 | GM | Gukesh, D | GM | Caruana, Fabiano | ||||
| 4 | GM | Giri, Anish | GM | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | ||||
| 5 | GM | Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime | GM | Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi |
Schedule and Format
SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz will have three rounds per day in the Rapid portion from 10th to 12th July. The Blitz event will take place on 13th and 14th July. It will be a double round-robin event for the Blitz which means nine rounds will be played on each day. Round 1 starts at 3 p.m. local time, 6:30 p.m. IST. It will be a 10-player Round Robin event. Time control for Rapid will be 25 minutes + 10 seconds increment. For Blitz, it will be 5 minutes + 2 seconds increment.
Prize
The total prize fund for each of the Rapid and Blitz event is US$ 175000.
