Gukesh recovers strongly to sit joint third at St. Louis Rapid and Blitz
MISSOURI: Reigning world champion D Gukesh bounced back in style after an early setback at the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament, part of the Grand Chess Tour. After being outplayed by American GM Levon Aronian in a complex opening-round encounter, Gukesh roared back with impressive wins over Grigoriy Oparin and Liem Le Quang to finish the day with four points out of a possible six, ending in joint third place.
Aronian, riding the momentum of his recent Freestyle Chess victory in Las Vegas, dominated day one with three straight wins. His victories included key clashes against top contenders Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, putting him in sole lead with six points.
American star Fabiano Caruana is close behind on five points, while Gukesh shares third with Wesley So. Vachier-Lagrave and Leinier Dominguez Perez are tied for fifth with three points apiece, setting up an exciting contest as the tournament progresses.
