Gukesh D takes down Viswanathan Anand in rapid clash at SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz 2023

Indian teenager Gukesh D defeated his idol Viswanathan Anand in a rapid clash at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia on Friday. The event is part of the Grand Chess Tour. The two Indian players are among an illustrious group of players competing at the event that includes Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Richard Rapport among others.
This is the first time that Anand and Gukesh have faced off against each other.
“It was a very important win. I’m happy (with the result),” the 17-year-old said after his win over the 5-time World Champion. “I thought I was better, but he equalised quite easily. Then he blundered the back rank. And after that the position got really tricky. It was very hard to play from there.”
The two players had a conversation after the result.

What a day! Gukesh wins vs Vishy Anand in the 8th round of #Superunitedcroatia! #grandchesstour #gukesh #vishyanand pic.twitter.com/x3YIRjbbQY
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) July 7, 2023
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“We were just discussing the game,” the teenager said in an interview with Grand Chess Tour’s social media handle.
The rapid segment ended with both Gukesh and Anand tied on fourth spot with 10 points out of a possible 18. Nepomniachtchi and Caruana led the standings with 12 points each as the event went into 18 rounds of blitz, to be played on Saturday and Sunday.