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Divya Deshmukh holds D Gukesh to draw in six-hour marathon game, shake hands in rook-and-knight vs rook endgame
FIDE Grand Swiss: Divya Deshmukh is currently ahead of D Gukesh with 4 points. Meanwhile, Gukesh has 3.5 points.
D Gukesh took on Divya Deshmukh in an all-Indian encounter, at the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand on Friday. It was a clash between the reigning world champion and the Women's World Cup winner, and it turned out to be a six-hour marathon match, and it consisted of 103 moves.
The game ended in a rook-and-knight versus rook endgame. Gukesh had the advantage with the rook-and-knight, but Divya defended with grit and precision. She held her ground for over 100 moves, and it was a perfect reflection of her strong defense.
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The pair could have agreed to a draw earlier, but Gukesh kept up the momentum, hoping for a win. In the end, he offered a draw and Divya accepted it.
Although Gukesh had the advantageous position, it looked like Divya was in better control. She even let Gukesh capture a free knight for a pawn in move 55. It left Gukesh with a rook and knight, vs Divya's rook and a pawn.
Divya is currently ahead of Gukesh with 4 points. Meanwhile, Gukesh has 3.5 points. Matthias Bluebaum is at the joint-lead (six points) with Nihal Sarin.
Gukesh became the World Champion in December last year, when he defeated Ding Liren in Singapore. The win also saw him become the youngest-ever FIDE World Champion. He hasn't been in good form lately and has lost three games in a row in the ongoing tournament. Despite his patchy form, Gukesh has also registered some big wins this year, against World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. But since becoming the world champion, Gukesh has also been facing tougher competition as opponents are more motivated to face him.
Meanwhile, Divya defeated Koneru Humpy recently in an all-Indian final at the Women's Chess World Cup. The victory also saw her become India's 88th Grandmaster. She also became the fourth Indian woman to become a GM, and she also qualified for the Candidates tournament.
