India, Feb. 10 -- D Gukesh fell to a defeat against Fabiano Caruana in the first game of their quarter-final showdown, at Weissenhaus Resort in Wangels (Germany). The pair are up against each other in the first leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour,

Both grandmasters played a closely-fought battle, and it was the most intense among other quarter-final games on Sunday. But then Gukesh's weakness in Chess960 was once again showcased as Caruana increased his pressure on the reigning world champion. The 32-year-old sealed the win with a bombshell 40.Rf3!! move, making his passed pawn unstoppable.

Gukesh did have his winning chances earlier, but he made a massive mistake on the 33rd-move, when both players were under three minutes.

Bef...