Young Indian Grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh scored a memorable win over illustrious compatriot and idol Viswanathan Anand in the eighth round of the rapid event of the 2023 SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz tournament, part of the Grand Chess Tour.

The 40-move win for the 17-year-old Gukesh late on Friday in Zagreb, Croatia, was his first ever over Anand and came in his maiden tournament match against the five-time world champion.

The two Indians have 10 points each and are tied for fourth place.

“It was a very important win. I’m happy,” Gukesh told the Grand Chess Tour’s social media handle.

“I thought I was better, but he equalised quite easily. Then he blundered the back rank. And after that, the position got really tricky. It was very hard to play from there.

“We were discussing the game,” he said about the discussion he had with Anand after the match.

Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi remained co-leaders after the final day of the Rapid event, each with 12 points.

Viswanathan Anand. Twitter

While the Day I leader Anand stumbled and fell two points behind the leaders, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen bounced back into form to take the clear third position going into two full days of blitz next.

Apart from the loss to Gukesh, Anand could only draw his games against Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) and Nepomniachtchi in rounds seven and nine respectively.

Gukesh started the final day of the rapid section with a loss to Caruana before stunning Anand and holding Duda to a draw.

Nepomniachtchi started the day with a continuation of his streak, winning a fourth game in a row against Grandmaster Ivan Saric.

On the black side of the Sicilian Nadjorf, he gained the upper hand with an opportune break in the centre, setting off a slow yet persistent avalanche for his opponent as he won an extra pawn and traded into an ending where it became an indomitable passer.

An 18-round blitz segment follows the rapid event in the tournament which features top players, including Carlsen, Anand and Nepomniachtchi.

The time control for the rapid portion is 25+10, with two points awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 for a loss.

The blitz portion will have a time control of 5+2, using the typical 1, 1/2, 0 scoring system.

The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, featuring the world's best Grandmasters.