Superbet Classic 2024, Round 1: Gukesh defeats Bogdan-Daniel Deac; Praggnanandhaa settles for a draw

Modified Jun 27, 2024 17:52 IST

Gukesh D after his victory in Round 1. (Credit: ChessBase India/X)

The second leg of the Grand Chess Tour 2024, The Superbet Classic Romania, started on June 26, Wednesday, in Bucharest. Indian Grandmaster Gukesh D started the competition on a winning note.

Notably, it was Gukesh’s first classical game since winning the FIDE Candidates. He defeated local lad, wildcard Grandmaster Bogdan-Daniel Deac in the first round of the Superbet Chess Classic Romania.

It’s worth noting that the Tour is using a new time control this year for its classical competitions - 120 minutes for the whole game, with a 30-second increment per move.

Interestingly, Gukesh secured a win in the first round, but it wasn’t smooth as his opponent moved strongly and kept up with the Indian GM’s level of play for a long time. The 22-year-old Romanian player was close to winning for a brief moment.

As the game went beyond move 30, the clock started to play a role. In the middlegame, Gukesh incorrectly captured his opponent’s knight. Though it gave Deac a chance to gain a substantial advantage, he missed it, and Gukesh ultimately made it big on his material benefit.

In the other game, Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa R settled for a draw against 19-year-old Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan.

Superbet Chess Classic competition will have one round played each day from June 26 to July 5, 2024. It will be a 10-player round-robin tournament.