In a major upset at the FIDE World Cup 2025, reigning world chess champion D Gukesh suffered an unexpected third-round elimination after losing to Germany’s Frederik Svane. The Indian grandmaster, currently ranked World No. 9, was one of the tournament favourites, making his early exit a major talking point in the global chess community.

Svane Stuns Gukesh in Round 3

The match between Gukesh and Svane started on an even note. In the first game, Gukesh, playing black, comfortably held Svane to a draw, setting up a tense decider.

In the second game, the 19-year-old Indian switched gears, opting for an attacking approach with the white pieces. However, Svane stayed calm under pressure and took advantage of a subtle positional error by Gukesh in the middlegame. The German capitalised decisi

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