The Grandmaster Who Hasn’t Been Defeated in the Last 67 Games
At the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 16-year-old American Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra extended his remarkable unbeaten streak in classical chess to 67 games, finishing the 11-round tournament with a score of 7/11 and one of the highest performance ratings, above 2800.
Entering with a 56-game streak, Mishra’s run, though punctuated by draws against lower-rated opponents, underscored his resilience and solidity in his playing style. Mishra’s Grand Swiss campaign was electrifying. He opened with a win over GM Alexey Sarana and Yu Yangyi (2700+), navigated a tense draw against the top seed R Praggnanandhaa in Round 4, showcasing defensive brilliance. The highlight came in Round 5: a 61-move upset over World Champion D Gukesh Dommaraju, making Mishra, at 16 years and seven months, the youngest ever to defeat a reigning classical champion. The game’s length mirrored his streak at the time—61 games. Despite several draws, including a gritty one against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in his 66th unbeaten game, Mishra’s three wins and eight draws against a 2600+ field earned him a tie for the fifth place.
His strong showing placed him very close to a Candidates Tournament qualification spot, while he collected 32 Elo points to reach a career-high rating of 2652. The rapid rise of juniors like Mishra and Andy, who also finished tied for fifth, signals a new era for American chess. At 16, he’s not just unbeaten—he’s a force.
Photo courtesy: Michal Walusza / FIDE
