Aravindh Chithambaram beats world champion Gukesh
Prague (PTI): Defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram found a textbook-style tactic to outwit compatriot D Gukesh, relegating the reigning FIDE world champion to the last spot after the end of sixth round of Masters section of Prague International Chess Festival here.
The victory for Aravindh meant that Gukesh is now ranked number 20 on the live rating list that did not feature Viswanathan Anand due to his possibly inactive status. There has been a clear struggle for Gukesh to maintain his status as the world champion since he won the title in December 2024.
Possibly the only exception was the Tata Steel Masters in January 2025 when he lost the tiebreaker to R Praggnanandhaa after tying for first place. A recent slum has now seen the world champion losing over fifty points in rating.
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For the record Aravindh finally changed to a Sicilian defense as black after his Philidor experiment failed miserably. Going for the complications for Gukesh was easy as he sacrificed a pawn to find some tactics in the early stages of the middle game.
Aravindh would have been happy with a draw the way the position unfolded with white having a rook against two knights. But, on the 40th move, with seconds remaining Gukesh made the decisive error. It was all over eight moves later.
Surprisingly, this was the only decisive game of the day with the remaining four ending in draws.
Jorden van Foreest remained in sole lead on 4.5 points drawing with local star David Navara who remained joint second with Abdusattorov Nodirbek of Uzbekistan a half point behind.
David Anton Guijarrov on 3.5 is closest to the three above him on 3.5 after settling for peace against Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran.
Aravindh with Vincent Keymer of Germany and Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan is next in the line up while Niemann is just above Gukesh on 1.5 points.
Foreest finally had a draw after five decisive games and this time too it seemed his extra pawn would do the trick. The Dutchman has been in the form of his life but in the sixth round Navara held his nerve to keep the opposition pieces and attack at bay.
The result was a draw, letting Foreest keep the lead, but both Navara and Abdusattorov remain in hunt with three rounds still to come in the second super tournament of the year.
In the masters section, world women's cup winner Divya Deshmukh played out a draw with Thomas Beerdsen of Holland while Surya Shekhar Ganguly split the point with Daniil Yuffa of Spain.
Results round 6 Masters: D Gukesh (Ind, 1.5) lost to Aravindh Chithambaram (Ind, 2.5); David Anton Guijarro (Esp, 3.5) drew with Parham Maghsoodloo (Iri, 3); Hans Moke Niemann (Usa, 2) drew with Vincent Keymer (Ger, 2.5); Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzb, 2.5) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 4); Jorden van Foreest (Ned, 4.5) drew with David Navara (Cze, 4).
Challengers: Daniil Yuffa (Esp, 3) drew with Surya Shekhar Ganguly (Ind, 1.5); Benjamin Gledura (Hun, 3) beat Nemec Jachym (Cze, 3); Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 3) drew with Thomas Beerdsen (Ned, 3.5); Hrbek Stepan (Cze, 3.5) drew with Jonas Buhl Bjerre (Den, 3); Zhu Jiner (Chn, 2) drew with Finek Vanclav (Cze, 4.5).
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West Asia crisis: MEA establishes control room to assist Indians
New Delhi (PTI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up a control room to assist those affected by the escalating crisis in West Asia.
The MEA has said almost one crore Indian citizens live in West Asia and their safety and well-being is of "utmost priority" for New Delhi.
As the Iran-US conflict widened, the Indian embassy in Iran moved hundreds of Indian students from the Iranian capital of Tehran to safer locations.
"A Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region," the MEA said on Wednesday.
"The Control Room can be contacted from 9 am to 9 pm at: 1800118797 (Toll Free) +91 11 2301 2113, +91 11 2301 4104, +91 11 2301 7905," it added.
The US launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Following the military offensive, Iran has carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The MEA on Tuesday noted that almost one crore Indian citizens live and work in the Gulf region, and their "safety and well-being is of utmost priority."
"We cannot be impervious to any development that negatively affects them," it said.
The MEA said New Delhi will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation and take relevant decisions in the national interest, adding it is in touch with the governments in the region as well as other key partners.
A Special Control Room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs in view of the current situation in West Asia and the Gulf region. Details are as below ⬇️
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) March 4, 2026
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