D Gukesh, a young Indian grandmaster, beat Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan, a former world rapid champion, in the final to win the World Chess Armageddon Asia & Oceania event. Late on Sunday, Gukesh prevailed in a twisty summit battle.
An Armageddon game is a variation of blitz chess in which a winner is chosen after a series of games that ended in draws. Black is deemed victorious in Armageddon if the match ends in a draw.
Gukesh lost the following game against Abdusattorov to use his “extra life” and restart the match after missing a chance in game 1. After Gukesh kept check, the “new” match’s first game ended in a draw. He won the subsequent game to win the title.
The 16-year-old Indian won in a field that included former world classical champion Vladimir Kramnik, Daniil Dubov, Yangyi Yu (China), Vidit Gujrathi and Karthikeyan Murali (both India) and Param Maghsoodloo (Iran), apart from Abdusattorov.
“Glad to win the thrilling event Armageddon championship series 2023-Asia and Oceania group by @theworldchess! Big relief to finally win a faster time control elite event & enjoyed plenty of new experiences the way event was played amidst lights, makeup stuff,” Gukesh tweeted after the triumph.