Clash of Grandmasters: Gukesh's Tumbling Tie-Break, Keymer's Stunning Victory

World Champion D Gukesh faced a narrow defeat at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam. Hikaru Nakamura won against him in a tie-breaker. Despite achieving an advantage early on, Gukesh made a critical error. The day, however, belonged to Vincent Keymer who triumphed over Magnus Carlsen to reach the finals.

During the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, World Champion D Gukesh met a decisive challenge when Hikaru Nakamura defeated him in the tie-breaker of the 5-8 place play-off. Gukesh had an early advantage with his white pieces but was outmaneuvered by Nakamura after a tactical error.

After defending an inferior position in the first game, Gukesh agreed to a draw. Meanwhile, Vincent Keymer stole the spotlight with a brilliant 1.5-0.5 victory over top-rated Magnus Carlsen. Keymer advanced to the finals, where he'll compete against either Fabiano Caruana or Javokhir Sindarov.

Carlsen applied pressure despite playing white, but Keymer capitalized on an unforced error to neutralize the position. The game concluded after 48 moves, relegating Carlsen to compete for the third to fourth position as Keymer secured his spot in the final match.

(With inputs from agencies.)