Fabiano Caruana Weighs In on Gukesh's 'Shocking' One-Move Blunder at Tata Steel Chess
In a detailed analysis, American chess grandmaster Fabiano Caruana has reacted to world champion Gukesh Dommaraju's one-move blunder against Nodirbek Abdusattorov at the Tata Steel Chess tournament, describing it as a striking instance of chess blindness. Caruana, who is notably absent from this year's event in Wijk aan Zee, emphasized that such errors are exceptionally rare for Gukesh, occurring perhaps one in a hundred times.
The Costly Mistake in Round 6
During the sixth round of the Tata Steel Chess masters, Gukesh faced a dramatic setback when he resigned after a single move that would have cost him a rook and a pawn. The 19-year-old Indian grandmaster, whose form has been under scrutiny following losses to Abdusattorov, Anish Giri, and Matthias Bluebaum, was visibly distraught, unable to look at the board or his opponent for nearly five minutes after the blunder.
Caruana, speaking on his C Squared Podcast, explained the oversight: He just missed Queen f6. He thought exf6, Queen f6, and I guess evaluated it as kind of equal. He just missed Queen f6. How it happens, I don't know. Of course, shocking blunders happen; it's just visualization, right?
Understanding Chess Blindness
Delving into the psychological aspects, Caruana highlighted that chess blindness can strike unpredictably, affecting players in varied ways. He noted:
- This phenomenon involves a lapse in pattern recognition where a move like Queen f6 is either instantly seen or completely overlooked.
- While such blunders are uncommon for Gukesh, they can be more frequent for others, with some players like Vincent Keymer being less susceptible.
- Caruana himself admitted to having placed pieces en prise (in a position to be taken) in the past, underscoring the universal nature of these errors.
He elaborated: I just think chess blindness can hit you at any moment, and some people are less susceptible to it than others. We can speculate on who's more or less susceptible, but definitely, some people are very good at avoiding blunders.
Gukesh's Struggles in the Tournament
Beyond the blunder against Abdusattorov, Caruana expressed surprise at Gukesh's performance against Matthias Bluebaum in round 9. In that game, Gukesh found himself in a strategically lost position early on, which Caruana found particularly baffling for a classical game.
He pointed out: The game which surprises me is the one Gukesh played against Bluebaum, because Gukesh blundered. Basically, you're white and straight out of your preparation in a line... after Bishop f5, he basically—within five moves—goes straight to a strategically lost position, which is just shocking.
Caruana contrasted this with the blunder against Abdusattorov, noting that while the latter was a sudden accident, the loss to Bluebaum involved a gradual drift into an inferior setup, making it harder to comprehend.
The Impact and Aftermath
Reflecting on the broader implications, Caruana stressed that such costly accidents are part of chess, though they vary in severity. He said: But of course, accidents can be costly, and it was a very costly accident. I've made blunders that happened to be insignificant; sometimes you miss something super obvious, but luckily it's not crucial. This one just happened to be dramatic, especially in its presentation.
As Gukesh continues to navigate the challenges of the Tata Steel Chess masters, Caruana's insights shed light on the mental and neurological factors that can influence even top players, reminding fans and analysts alike of the unpredictable nature of the game.
