‘It was my idea’: Gukesh explains shock move to Board 4 at Chess Olympiad

'It was my idea': Gukesh explains shock move to Board 4 at Chess Olympiad Relegating himself to the fourth board to maximize India's gold medal chances, World Champion D Gukesh brush aside Italy's Sabino Brunello in Round 3.

What happened

World champion Gukesh D gives an autograph to a young fan after winning his third round match at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. (Photo: Michal Walusza / FIDE).

Eyebrows shot up instantly when the Indian team confirmed their board order for the upcoming Chess Olympiad. Gukesh Dommaraju has suffered bad form for the past 19 months with a barren, trophy-less stretch extending to him becoming the youngest world champion at the age of 18. But even then, India captain Srinath Narayanan's decision to place him on the fourth board with Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin ahead of him led to questions regarding what this decision stated regarding the team management's faith in Gukesh.

On a day he brushed aside Italian grandmaster Sabino Brunello in an imperious display of chess with the black pieces, Gukesh went on the record to explain how the team had decided to put him as the fourth-placed player in the pecking order.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around 'It was my idea': Gukesh explains shock move to Board 4 at point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.