World champion D Gukesh ended the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam finishing last after losing to Iranian-French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in their their seventh-place playoff match.
After a drawn- battle on the first day, Gukesh had an opportunity to bounce back but lost in just 30 moves. A mid- game mistake forced him to give up on his queen, allowing Firouzja to take advantage and secure victory.
Gukesh’s seventh-position meant that he concluded the tournament in Weissenhaus without a single win. Meanwhile, Vincent Keymer emerged as a surprise winner, defeating Fabiano Caruana, despite being touted as a rookie at the start. The German’s victory over several higher- ranked opponents was seen as a positive outcome for the event’s sponsors.
Magnus Carlsen secured the third place defeating Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov. Sindarov had earlier replaced Viswanathan Anand, however Carlsen stood strong giving him back-to-back defeats.
