How Gukesh won 1st game as chess world champion after finding lucky escape route vs Anish Giri
Gukesh managed to win his first match as world champion. The win came despite him only landing in Wijk aan Zee on Saturday morning after the Khel Ratna felicitation on Friday evening in New Delhi. (Screenshot: YouTube/Chess24)
Just when checkmate seemed inevitable, with Gukesh running out of options — and out of time on the clock to think — Anish Giri made a blunder that will haunt the attic of his mind for years to come.
In one hasty move of the wrist, Anish Giri had handed his 18-year-old opponent a get-out-of-jail-free card. Gukesh, who won the world championship last month on a similar blunder from his opponent Ding Liren, is not one to refuse gifts across the board.
