D Gukesh Draws With Parham Maghsoodloo In Prague International Chess Masters Round Seven

World Champion D Gukesh’s search for victory continued at the Prague International Chess Festival, as Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo held the Indian prodigy to a draw in the seventh round of the masters section. With only two rounds remaining, Gukesh sits at the bottom of the leaderboard with two points, following four draws and three defeats, highlighting a challenging tournament for the youngest-ever world champion.

Gukesh faced Maghsoodloo with the Berlin Defense as Black, achieving a solid position early on. The Iranian, content to maintain the tension, carefully navigated the position, allowing his queenside pawns to advance while Gukesh tried to consolidate in the center. After a lengthy 49 moves, the game ended in a draw, leaving Gukesh still searching for his first win in Prague.

Meanwhile, defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram also struggled to gain ground, drawing with Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev to remain on a 50 percent score after seven rounds. Both Indian grandmasters now face critical final rounds if they hope to improve their standings in the tournament.

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The day’s lone victor in the masters section was Germany’s Vincent Keymer, who defeated Spain’s David Anton Guijarro. Dutch grandmaster Jorden van Foreest holds a narrow lead, half a point ahead of his closest rivals, Czech Republic’s David Navara and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, keeping the top of the leaderboard tightly contested.

In the challengers’ section, Indian players made encouraging strides. Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh secured a draw against Denmark’s Jonas Buhl Bjerre, while Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly claimed his first win of the event, defeating China’s Jiner Zhu. These results provide a boost for the Indian contingent outside the top-tier masters section.

As the Prague International approaches its final rounds, both Gukesh and Chithambaram will need decisive performances to climb the standings. The tournament continues to showcase high-level competition and remains a testing ground for some of the world’s leading chess talents.

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