In a stunning upset at the World Blitz Championship 2025 in Doha, Qatar, reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju was defeated by 12-year-old prodigy Sergey Sklokin. The shocking result, which occurred during the tournament's third round on Monday, was precipitated by a severe blunder from the Indian grandmaster under intense time pressure, marking a surprising low in his 2025 campaign.
The Rating Gulf and a Costly Decision
The loss was particularly notable given the significant gap in experience and rating between the two players. Gukesh, a super grandmaster with a classical rating over 2750, entered the blitz game with a rating of 2628. His opponent, Ukrainian FIDE Master Sergey Sklokin, is two title levels below a grandmaster and was rated 2400—a difference of 228 Elo points. Despite blitz not being his preferred format, the defeat was unexpected.
The critical moment arrived on move 70. Playing with the black pieces, Gukesh was a pawn down and had only eight seconds remaining on his clock, compared to Sklokin's 13 seconds. When Sklokin offered a rook exchange, a logical path for Gukesh was to accept and steer the game toward a draw, given his material disadvantage.
The Blunder That Sealed the Fate
However, true to his renowned fighting spirit, Gukesh declined the simplifying exchange. Instead, he played 70…Rf4, opting to continue the battle. This decision proved instantly catastrophic. Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, commentating on the official FIDE stream, labeled it the potential "blunder of the round."
Ashley elaborated, "We know Gukesh is a tremendous fighter and he hates draws. Literally hates them and will do crazy things to avoid them. But this was a little bit too much." He emphasized that trading rooks was the obvious and safe choice. "He was the one who was down a pawn! He should be happy to trade rooks... But he’s playing for what? Unbelievable! That was absolutely insane. I was not expecting this from a world champion for sure."
The position deteriorated rapidly after the blunder. Soon, Gukesh was down both a pawn and a bishop. Just ten moves later, after losing his final pawn, the world champion was forced to resign, handing an unforgettable victory to the young prodigy.
Context and Gukesh's Tournament Outlook
This loss comes after Gukesh's performance in the FIDE World Rapid Championship, where he finished in 20th place after winning six games. He had been in the leading pack after the first day. Prior to the rapid and blitz events, the 19-year-old champion had tempered expectations regarding his performance in these faster time controls.
During a pre-tournament media interaction attended by five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, Gukesh stated, "I think rapid and blitz events have been slightly less priority than classical events for me. So, this is an event which I don’t have a lot of expectations. I’m here just to play, you know, just experiment, enjoy and play chess with aim of having fun."
While the loss to Sklokin is a dramatic setback in the blitz championship, it underscores the unpredictable and punishing nature of blitz chess, where seconds and a single move can overturn vast rating differences and create sporting moments that resonate throughout the chess world.
