Samarkand (Uzbekistan): World champion D Gukesh endured a second consecutive defeat at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, going down to Greek GM Nikolas Theodorou in Round 6 on Tuesday. The 19-year-old, already reeling from a loss to 16-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra a day earlier, now finds himself struggling mid-table.
The Game
Playing White, Gukesh opened with 1.e4, met by Theodorou’s Petrov Defence, which soon transitioned into the Marshall and Staunton lines. Gukesh surprised his opponent with the unusual 9.c5, a move Theodorou admitted he had “never seen in that position.”
Despite tense middlegame play, Theodorou’s precise bishop manoeuvres — 22…Bd8, 24…bxc5, and 25…Bf6 — kept the balance. The decisive moment came in the rook endgame when Gukesh incorrectly claimed a threefold repetition after 34.Ra7+. The arbiter ruled it was only a twofold, giving Theodorou an additional two minutes.
From there, the Greek capitalised on his advantage, and Gukesh resigned after 47 moves.
Theodorou Reacts
“It felt like I messed up badly, but I kept fighting. Then I think he missed some of my resources,” Theodorou said post-match. On Gukesh’s repetition claim, he added:
“I thought it should be a draw, but he lost time by checking my king. At some point he even made an incorrect claim, so I got two extra minutes, which was nice.”
The victory places Theodorou in what has been jokingly called the “Chigorin Club” — players who have beaten a reigning world champion.
What It Means for Gukesh
After six rounds, Gukesh has collected just 3 points, leaving his title hopes in jeopardy. Even a perfect finish in the remaining five rounds may only take him to 8 points, which could fall short of the winning tally.
GM Harshit Raja summed up Gukesh’s struggles:
“He was ambitious and wanted to play for a win, but things didn’t go his way. At certain points, he could have pulled the brakes.”
With Wednesday marked as a rest day, Gukesh will look to reset, rebuild confidence, and aim for a strong finish.