At the ongoing Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown 2025, world champion Dommaraju Gukesh had a difficult second day, losing the lead he had taken earlier and slipping to joint-last in the rankings.
After starting the day as the sole leader, Gukesh faltered with three losses and three draws, allowing Magnus Carlsen to take charge of the leaderboard.
Carlsen back in control
The 19-year-old Indian prodigy began the day with two back-to-back defeats against Carlsen in Round 4. The Norwegian, who had looked slightly off rhythm on the opening day, bounced back with trademark precision to reclaim control of the tournament.
Gukesh managed to steady himself briefly with two draws against Hikaru Nakamura in Round 5, but a third loss of the day, this time to Fabiano Caruana sealed a winless run. He ended Day 2 with seven points, tied with Nakamura at the bottom of the table.
Carlsen now leads with 11.5 points, followed by Caruana at 10.5.
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Gukesh admits off day
Speaking to chess.com, Gukesh admitted he struggled to find his rhythm throughout the day.
“I was just not able to be sharp today. I was taking a lot of time, which I shouldn’t have. Forget what happened and come fresh tomorrow,” he said.
Carlsen, meanwhile, called his performance “an improvement” over the previous day, though he admitted he wasn’t fully satisfied. “The first win against Gukesh was the only good game I played in this tournament,” Carlsen said. “I would like to have a little more control in my games than I did today, but I’ll take the result, of course.”
Format keeps things tight
Designed by Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, Clutch Chess is a three-day rapid event played in an 18-game double round-robin format with a time control of 10 minutes plus a 5-second increment. The format gives each day escalating point values, one point per win on Day 1, two on Day 2, and three on Day 3. This format helps in keeping the field open till the very end. Each victory also brings increasing prize money: $1,000 on Day 1, $2,000 on Day 2, and $3,000 on Day 3.
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This year’s lineup features four of the world’s best: Magnus Carlsen (World No. 1), Hikaru Nakamura (World No. 2), Fabiano Caruana (World No. 3), and World Champion D. Gukesh.
With points doubling and tripling in the coming rounds, the championship remains wide open. For Gukesh, it’s a chance to regroup and rediscover his composure before the final push.
