D Gukesh Leads The Field In Chess Champions Showdown, To Take On Carlsen-Nakamura

Last Updated:October 26, 2025, 13:37 IST

D Gukesh faces Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana at the Clutch Chess Champions in St. Louis.

D Gukesh (Picture credit: X @Uzchesss)

World Champion D Gukesh will face a formidable challenge in the USD 412,000 Clutch Chess Champions showdown, which starts in St Louis soon.

After leading his Super Chess team to a win in the European Club Cup, Gukesh will compete against the world’s top three-ranked players in 18 rapid chess matches at the newly designed St. Louis Chess Club facility.

Magnus Carlsen, the world number one since 2011, returns from a break after recently becoming a father and is again the favourite, ahead of Americans Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana.

The second edition of Clutch Chess, within a fortnight, offers the winner USD 120000. The second prize is USD 90,000, while the third and fourth prizes are USD 70,000 and USD 60,000, respectively.

Additionally, USD 72,000 is at stake for each win in every round. In case of draws, the prize money will be added to the overall winner’s earnings.

Grandmaster Maurice Ashley’s brainchild, clutch chess, will see increasing stakes daily. Victories on day one will be worth one point, two points on day two, and three points on the final day.

Similarly, the prize pool reserved for games will increase each day.

The first edition played earlier this month featured a Chess960 clash between two legends renewing their rivalry after 30 years, with Garry Kasparov defeating Anand by two games.

Gukesh scored three victories and two draws in his five games at the European individual event, with the most notable win against compatriot Erigaisi Arjun, who missed opportunities to draw.

Caruana recently won his fourth consecutive and fifth overall US Championship title, while Nakamura is working to meet the FIDE deadline for rated games to qualify for the next Candidates tournament.

Although Carlsen has not played much recently, history shows he excels in faster versions of the game.

There will be six matches each day, with a total of 36 points up for grabs.

(With PTI Inputs)

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