A Rare Moment of Chess Blindness: Why Gukesh’s Blunder Stunned Everyone

World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju’s shock mistake in his game against Nodirbek Abdusattorov at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee has been making waves, especially after Fabiano Caruana weighed in with his thoughts. The Indian grandmaster seemed to be steering toward a safe result before a single oversight turned the game on its head. On his C Squared Podcast, Caruana described the moment as a classic case of “chess blindness.” He explained that Gukesh simply failed to spot a critical queen move, overlooking Queen f6, which would have changed the evaluation dramatically. Instead, Gukesh chose a line he thought was equal, only to realize afterward that he missed a winning resource for his opponent. Caruana suggested that these kinds of lapses aren’t about lack of focus but more about how the brain sometimes fails to recognise a pattern that should, in theory, be obvious. He said even the best players occasionally make these errors, though it’s rare for someone of Gukesh’s calibre — perhaps happening “one in a hundred times.” He admitted he himself has walked into positions where pieces hang or threats are missed, but usually the mistakes aren’t as devastating. The world champion was visibly stunned after realising his error and resigned almost immediately once Abdusattorov responded to the blunder. Gukesh’s reaction — covering his face and staring at the board in disbelief — was caught on the live stream, underlining just how much the misstep affected him. Caruana went on to note that some players have a knack for avoiding blunders, while others are more prone to them. This doesn’t necessarily reflect their overall skill, he said, but rather how often their mental radar fails them in certain positions. It’s a reminder that even elite grandmasters are human — capable of brilliant strategy and, occasionally, baffling oversights.