D Gukesh stages remarkable comeback to secure draw against France’s Alireza Firouzja

In chess, world champion D. Gukesh staged a remarkable comeback to secure a draw against France’s Alireza Firouzja in the first game of the final round of the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour in Hamburg, Germany.

Battling for a spot in the top eight qualifiers, Gukesh was on the defensive for most of the game and survived several tense moments before forcing a hard-fought draw in a long endgame.

Meanwhile, world number one Magnus Carlsen bounced back from his



semifinal loss to Vincent Keymer with a dominant win over Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov. Playing with the black pieces, Carlsen showed his class and is now the clear favourite to win the third-place playoff.

In another match, Hikaru Nakamura of the United States also won with black pieces, turning the tables on Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in a game where Abdusattorov had seemed to hold a comfortable position.