Gukesh counts positives after World Cup exit

At this time last year, DGukesh was preparing for the biggest tournament of his young career ~ the World Chess Championship.

- HT Correspondent

And then, at 18, he became the youngest-ever player to be crowned world champion.

In the year that has followed, the 19-year-old’s stock has risen, even if the results have not quite gone his way. On Saturday, at the Chess World Cup in Goa, Gukesh had to take another defeat in his stride.

On the second day of Round 3, despite the advantage of playing with white pieces and facing an opponent who was under time pressure, Gukesh lost against Frederik Svane. On Friday, Gukesh had played out a draw against the German.

On paper, it may seem like the alarm bells should be ringing for the boy wonder who has been attracting crowds in Goa. But the world No.9 is looking to use every loss as a learning experience.