The game between Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Gukesh Dommaraju at the prestigious Wijk aan Zee tournament became one of the event’s most unexpected and talked-about clashes. For almost the entire game, it looked as if the reigning world champion had everything under control: the position seemed stable, safe, and firmly managed.
Gukesh handled the game with confidence and even reached an almost completely equal position. There was plenty of time before the time control, and the situation did not appear dangerous. But that very calmness led to the decisive mistake.
On move 36, Black played 36…Lg5?? — and in an instant changed the fate of the game. Sacrificing a rook with check was a very crude and hard-to-explain blunder for a game of this level. Most remarkably, before Nodirbek even had time to play 37.Fxf6+ Gukesh had already realized the consequences were irreversible.
After the pawn was captured, the position collapsed completely. No defensive resources remained, and counterplay vanished. Gukesh immediately admitted there was no option but to resign. It was the most dramatic moment of the game.
In this encounter, Nodirbek Abdusattorov once again showed his composure, positional feel, and ability to punish an opponent’s mistake. This win is hugely important not only for the standings, but also psychologically.
Wijk aan Zee once again proved today that in chess, even at the very highest level, a split-second mistake can decide the outcome of an entire game. Abdusattorov knows exactly how to collect crucial points in such moments.
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