Hikaru Nakamura lauds World Champion Gukesh for his remarkable resilience against Anish Giri
American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura praised World Champion D Gukesh for his resilience against Anish Giri in the opening round of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament.
Gukesh secured a victory over hometown favorite Anish Giri, who had given the 18-year-old an unexpected opportunity to turn the game around. Just weeks after winning the World Championship due to a similar blunder from Ding Liren, Gukesh once again capitalized on his opponent’s mistake.
“It’s really heartbreaking for Anish, but on the other hand, Gukesh defended very well,” Nakamura said on his YouTube channel.
“Yes, Gukesh blundered with h3, but under time pressure, he showed great resilience. You have to give him credit for putting Anish to the test. Unfortunately for Anish, he couldn’t hold up. This marks a strong start for Gukesh in his first classical game since his incredible victory over Ding Liren in Singapore,” he added.
The Chennai-born teenager had only just arrived in Wijk aan Zee on Saturday morning after receiving the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award from President Droupadi Murmu the previous evening.
“Gukesh was in India to receive one of the country’s highest civilian honors just yesterday, and today, he flew in and arrived just three hours before his game,” Nakamura noted.
Throughout the middle game, Gukesh found himself under time pressure while trying to escape a difficult position as Giri built up a significant advantage.
“Gukesh was likely fatigued and jet-lagged. As for Anish, he has traditionally performed well in this tournament but has struggled in other events at times,” Nakamura observed.
About The Author
