The Dutch Defense.
In fact, Gukesh was not really that familiar with this opening. He was able to win the game last year, knowing that Sheva only had this one in his arsenal. However, today was a different story.
Gukesh knew how much Sheva had improved since their last encounter, and how nasty the Indonesian boy's opening arsenal was. He knew Sheva had a lot to offer, from the most controversial Benoni to the most conservative, such as the Catalan Defense. Yet, when it mattered the most, Sheva suddenly went back to the origin of their story, the Dutch, and while Gukesh should've expected this to come, the move still caught him off guard.
'Tch! He wants to use this as his revenge, aiming for poetic justice, huh?' The Indian boy clicked his tongue in annoyance.
