Levon Aronian’s ‘Grandpa Chess’ Stops D Gukesh’s Run! Says ‘He Had Paid The Price For…’   News24 –

Gukesh Dommaraju or D Gukesh had a mixed start to his St. Louis Rapid and Blitz campaign, opening with a disappointing loss to seasoned Grandmaster Levon Aronian. However, the 18-year-old quickly regained his footing, securing back-to-back wins to close the day in a tie for third place. Aronian, in imperious form, ended Day 1 on top after winning all three of his games.

Although Gukesh has long been focused on classical chess, his schedule in recent months has featured more rapid and blitz events – especially since becoming the youngest world champion in chess history.

Earlier this year, he impressed at the Zagreb Rapid, and just last month he topped the standings after the blitz rounds at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia tournament, another stop on the Grand Chess Tour. Unfortunately, a poor blitz showing there saw him slip to third overall.

In St. Louis, Gukesh recovered well from the early setback against Aronian, defeating the USA’s Grigoriy Oparin and Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem to finish strong. On Tuesday, he will open against Sam Shankland, who currently sits at the bottom of the 10-player leaderboard.

Reflecting on their match, Aronian jokingly told the official broadcast that he won despite playing in “grandpa style,” referring to his slow, positional approach. “You’re not impressing anybody with this type of play,” he quipped with a smile.

Gukesh, meanwhile, remained upbeat about his performance despite the opening-round loss.

“The first game was bad – once I allowed knight f3 in the opening, it went downhill. I should have played g4. I just got careless for one moment, and after that, it was tough. But I’m happy with how I bounced back in the next two games. Overall, I feel good about the day,” he said.