D Gukesh is now overall joint sixth after Blitz Round 9 (Toi Photo) Indian world champion D Gukesh endured a mixed day in St. Louis Rapid and Blitz ended up with one victory and four draws to slip to the sixth place after the first nine rounds of Blitz. When there are only nine games left, the teenager faces the task uphill to build a late return. His only victory came against American Leinier Dominguez Perez, but four losses during the day deepened his chances. Gukesh now sits on 13 points, tied to Vietnamese Li Le Quang and three points ahead of Dominguez in eighth place. At the top of Levon Aronian from the United States, he regained a single lead and collected 6/9 in Blitz to move to 19 points. He is two points without the night leader and compatriots Fabiano Caruana, who lasted a difficult day, won without winning Blitz and lost three games. Frenchman Maxure Vachier-Lagrave remains third with 16.5 points, only half a point behind Caruana, after he stayed undefeated with two wins and seven draws. Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov bounced strongly and corresponded to Aronian’s Blitz score to climb to the fourth place with Wesley So USA, both on 15 points. American Grigoriy Oparin also improved its position to ninth place with nine points, while Sam Shankland is the last 7.5.
D Gukesh is the sixth joint in the ranking next to LiEm Le (Screngrab)
Aronian’s day included four wins, four draws, and only one loss that kept it on top. Abdusattorov impressed victory over Aronian, Gukesh, Dominguez and Shanland, while scoring the key victory against Gukesh, Abdusattor and Li.
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Will D Gukesh be able to make a comeback in the remaining rounds?
With an event of $ 175,000 (over 1.5 GBP), which is now heading for its last nine Blitz rounds, Gukesh will need a dominant run to challenge the leader. His ability to convert chances in a rapidly developing format will be key if he hopes to return to the dispute.
