Having lost the first game with white pieces, World champion D Gukesh did not last long against the American Grandmaster in a must-win tie with Caruana finishing the contest in a mere 18 moves.

D Gukesh’s hopes of winning the Weissenhaus leg of the inaugural Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 came to an end on Monday (10 January) as he was forced to resign after just 18 moves in the second quarter-finals against American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana.

While Gukesh is out of the quarterfinal, his time in Weissenhaus still continues, as he will battle for the fifth to eighth ranking spots, playing the loser of the Hikaru Nakamura vs Jakovhir Sindarov quarterfinal tie. Fifth place gets $50,000 and 10 points, while eighth gets $10,000 and 4 points.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER On Friday, Magnus Carlsen begins his quest to grow the popularity of an alternative chess variant and win the tournament itself.

Magnus Carlsen questioned the validity of classical chess as a measure of skill, favoring rapid chess. Gukesh acknowledged the quality of their championship match, while Carlsen ruled out a title clash.

This isn't just another chess tournament though, with a public spat between Carlsen and the promoters of the FCGT with FIDE in the build-up to the tournament.