Born in 2009 in New Jersey, Mishra gained fame at the age of 12 when he became the youngest grandmaster in history. While his progress since then hasn't met initial expectations, he remains significantly ahead of his peers.

Mishra made a resounding return to the spotlight at the Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In the fifth round, playing white against Gukesh, he gained an early advantage after the world champion made a risky kingside pawn push to attack the castle. Gukesh's bold move backfired, weakening his black king and exposing it to pressure in the center of the board.

Mishra (right) during his victory against Gukesh in round 5 of the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 8/9/2025. Photo: FIDE

Mishra (right) during his victory against Gukesh in round 5 of the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 8/9/2025. Photo: FIDE

The game then evolved into a complex calculation battle. As both players' time dwindled, Gukesh made a critical error that put him in a losing position after move 40. According to tournament rules, each player had 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, plus an additional 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, and 15 minutes for the remainder of the game. Mishra capitalized on the added time, converting his advantage into a victory.

Known for his calculating prowess, Gukesh struggled under time pressure. The Indian grandmaster persevered until move 61 before resigning. This victory marked Mishra as the youngest player to defeat a reigning world champion in classical chess.

Mishra's performance leading up to this historic win was also impressive. He drew against grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev and then defeated strong opponents Alexey Sarana and Yu Yangyi. In round 4, playing black, he drew against the top seed Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. He gained 31.6 Elo points after five rounds, moving up to sixth place in the world under-20 rankings.

More importantly, with 4 points, Mishra is tied for second place at the Grand Swiss, just 0.5 points behind Parham Maghsoodloo. He maintains hopes of securing a spot in the Candidates tournament, which determines the challenger for the world championship title against Gukesh.

The 2025 Grand Swiss, held from 4/9 to 15/9, is the strongest Swiss-system tournament of the year, featuring 115 players, including 114 grandmasters. World number one Magnus Carlsen is absent, having lost interest in classical chess and the world championship title.

Number two Hikaru Nakamura is focusing on playing enough games in smaller tournaments in the US to qualify for the Candidates tournament based on Elo rating. World number three Fabiano Caruana has already secured the first spot in the 2026 Candidates, so he is also not participating in this year's Grand Swiss. Vietnam's number one player, Le Quang Liem, didn't play enough games to qualify for the Grand Swiss. Vietnam's number two, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, didn't have a high enough Elo rating to participate.

The Grand Swiss will select two players for the 2026 Candidates tournament after nine rounds.

Xuan Binh