Chess: Vincent Keymer, 20, Routs Indians In Their Chennai Heartland

Germany’s Vincent Keymer, 20, has laid down a marker for nan 2026 world candidates and title lucifer by routing immoderate of India’s champion grandmasters astatine nan Quantbox GM tourney successful Chennai, nan heartland of nan Olympiad champions and nan location of nan world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju.

Keymer’s people was an unbeaten 7/9, while his winning separator was a afloat 2 points. In contrast, India’s Arjun Erigaisi vanished 3rd connected tie-break and dropped from No 4 to No 6 successful nan Fide unrecorded ratings, while Vidit Gujrathi, a 2024 world title candidate, had a minus score.

Since 2024, erstwhile nan nation’s men and women teams won double golden astatine nan Budapest Olympiad, while Gukesh became nan youngest ever world champion astatine 18, India has been nan undisputed apical chess nation.

However, Gukesh, who has struggled this summertime connected nan St Louis-based Grand Chess Tour, started severely this week successful nan Tour’s main event, nan $350,000 Sinquefield Cup, which tin beryllium followed unrecorded regular from 7.30pm.

3986 FM Mateo Boci (Albania) v FM Peter Balint (Austria), World under-14 championship, Montesilvano 2023. Black to move and win.

Gukesh mislaid easy to his main rival, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, successful a Nimzo-Indian 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 which soon transposed to a Queen’s Gambit Accepted. Ivan Sokolov, nan elite trainer, summarised nan game: “Pragg [finally]decided not to conflict Gukesh connected his turf, not to participate chaotic positions [where calculation decides]. Result – Pragg’s method masterpiece!”

Gukesh, who later described his conclusion arsenic “probably 1 of nan worst games I’ve played” erred early pinch 13…Ba7? alternatively of 13…Be7, and nan Stockfish evaluations told nan story: By move 17 White was +1.26, by move 24 +2.24, by move 28 + 3.02, and by move 36 +5.01. Round 2 went amended for Gukesh, who defeated nan tailender Nodirbek Abdusattorov, but aft 3 rounds he remained connected a humble 50% total.

Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, precocious to No 4 successful nan live ratings, his highest yet. Keymer and Praggnanandhaa are nan 2 players successful shape among nan world apical 10, some pinch gains of 30+ standing points successful nan past year.

Keymer’s occurrence astatine Chennai crossed 2 important profession milestones , arsenic he reached nan world apical 10 Fide live-rated players for nan first time, and his standing passed nan 2750 mark.

The German made his profession breakthrough successful February this twelvemonth erstwhile he won nan $200,000 Weissenhaus Freestyle Grand Slam up of nan world apical two, defeating Magnus Carlsen successful nan semi-final and Fabiano Caruana successful nan final.

Keymer is nan first German to scope nan world apical 10 since nan precocious Robert Hübner, whose highest was No 3 successful 1980. His ambition now is to suffice for nan 2026 candidates, past to triumph nan candidates and go Gukesh’s challenger.

Keymer has an individual playing style. He considers strategical consequence appraisal to beryllium very important, deciding erstwhile to deviate from nan astir objectively sound moves truthful arsenic to maximise his chances of provoking errors from his opponent. He points retired that this is really today’s young GMs disagree from their predecessors, who successful a section of 2750s would purpose for positive 2 and nary defeats, whereas successful nan past 2 years Erigaisi has reached 2800 successful Opens by playing for a triumph successful each game.

The German’s profession has progressed much slow than immoderate of his contemporaries and rivals, owed to his committedness to completing his acquisition alternatively than going consecutive into full-time chess. He has moreover needed to return schoolhouse written and oral exams instantly earlier awesome tournaments.

His parents are master musicians, surviving successful a mini municipality an hour’s thrust from Frankfurt, and earlier he discovered chess he seemed group to travel them, winning first prize arsenic a pianist successful a Youth for Music competition.

In a erstwhile generations, chess and euphony had a stronger connection. World champion Vasily Smyslov and title campaigner Lajos Portisch sang to master standards, while Mark Taimanov, Bobby Fischer’s 6-0 victim, alternated arsenic a grandmaster and a performance pianist.

Keymer’s chess profession took disconnected successful 2018 when, aged 13, he won nan Grenke Open up of 49 GMs pinch a 2796 performance. He is helped by his semipermanent coach, Peter Leko, whose heavy chess knowing is evident successful his online commentaries.

As Keymer explained to nan editor of New In Chess, Dirk Jan 10 Geuzendam, successful a caller interview: his exemplary is Carlsen, Norway’s world No 1, who is “very, very classical. His knowledge astir past games and structures is unmatched.” The Indians, successful contrast, “work a lot, nan magnitude of knowledge they person is huge, but astir of that is not classical games, it is puzzles and calculation exercises. That’s what they grew up with, while I developed utilizing a much classical approach, watching DvDs pinch nan champion games of each time.”

It is still an extracurricular chance, but nan Keymer whitethorn person an opportunity to alteration nan seemingly inexorable people of chess history by advancing further into nan world top, succeeding Carlsen arsenic occidental European and world No 1, and defying nan now accepted forecasts that chess successful nan 2020s and 2030s will beryllium dominated by Indian, Chinese and c entral Asian grandmasters.

3986 1…Ng4! 2 Qh4 Qf4! 3 Bd3 (if 3 Rxf4 Rc1+ mates) Rc1! 4 Rg1 (4 Kg1 Qe3+ 5 Kh1 Rxf1+ 6 Bxf1 Nf2+ 7 Kh1 Nh3++ and Qg1 mate) Qxh2+! 5 Qxh2 Nf2 mate.