Gukesh lost both his games in the quarter-final against Fabiano Caruana. He's so far winless at Weissenhaus. But he will now play for classification between 5-8 spot.

D Gukesh will need to beat Fabiano Caruana in game 2 of the quarterfinals of the Freestyle Chess Grand Tour to stay alive in the competition.

World Champion D Gukesh began his campaign at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour with three draws and a lone loss, signalling that he is gradually coming to terms with the new format.

The knockout stage of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour’s first event will begin on Sunday, February 9 with World Champion D Gukesh in action.

Magnus Carlsen reflects on his victory over D Gukesh at the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, offering tactical insights into their much-anticipated clash.

In the other opening quarter-final games, Magnus Carlsen and Vincent Keymer defeat Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Alireza Firouzja respectively while Hikaru Nakamura plays out a 60-move draw against Javokhir Sindarov.

While Gukesh is out of the quarterfinal, his time in Weissenhaus still continues, as he will battle for the fifth to eighth ranking spots, playing the loser of the Hikaru Nakamura vs Jakovhir Sindarov quarterfinal tie. Fifth place gets $50,000 and 10 points, while eighth gets $10,000 and 4 points.

Gukesh lost the second leg on Monday, sealing his exit from the tournament. Gukesh will now play for the 5th-8th place Playoff.