D Gukesh demonstrated his determination and resilience on Wednesday, completing his Rapid section campaign in fourth at St. Louis. He lost to Leinier Dominguez in the last three rounds, then defeated Wesley So and pacesetter Fabiano Caruana.
Gukesh has been under constant pressure since becoming World Champion last December, and has also been victimized by such luminaries as Magnus Carlsen.
Gukesh Speaks on Motivation from Opponents
Speaking after his win, Gukesh said, “I kind of sense that people are more motivated to play against me (after he became world champion).”
“But it’s none of my business, I just play my game. Maybe the first couple of tournaments, I felt this pressure of having to prove something, but then it got better. It has already been eight to nine months, and I played a few tournaments. I think I just got settled into this new state.”
Preparing for the Blitz Section
Now Gukesh will be in action in the Blitz section, where he didn’t fare well in Zagreb. He said, “I mean, it will be a great challenge because Zagreb didn’t go well. It will be a challenge to prove myself and just try to do my best. You have to be well rested because of nine rounds of Blitz, but also some practice to get into Blitz rhythm. No rapid.”
Gukesh completed the tiebreakers with 10, behind Caruana (14), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (11) and Levon Aronian (13). Dominguez, So, and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov are on nine points and tied for fifth. They are ahead of Vietnam’s Liem Le Quang by two points. American GM Sam Shankland is on ninth place with five points, while Grigoriy Oparin trails in last position with three.
This was the fourth consecutive victory for Gukesh against Caruana as well, and this will also make the American feel uneasy. The American had recently also publicly taunted Indian GMs.
