Chess: Understanding Rubinstein's 'Two Weaknesses' Strategy

Last week D. Gukesh defeated World number one Magnus Carlsen for the second time in a row. The win came in the Rapid format with the Black pieces in the 6th round of the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Chess tournament at Croatia. What makes the win special is that Gukesh has often publicly stated his preference for Classical chess, while Carlsen has been partial to the faster time controls in recent years. To enter the Lion’s den and defeat him at his strongest turf shows the character of the 18 – year- old World Champion. The win also highlights the increased importance of faster time controls in Chess World.

Just a couple of weeks ago, R. Praggnanandhaa won the Uzbek Chess Masters by prevailing in the blitz tiebreaks—proof that excellence in shorter formats isn’t optional anymore; it’s a decisive edge. Chess has evolved from art, science and study into a dynamic sport where speed, practical decisions, and nerves under pressure matter more than ever. Rapid and Blitz formats underline this shift as the reduced time on the clock increases a player’s dependence on reflexes, intuition and muscle memory.

Advantages

The standard time control for Rapid at elite level is 15 minutes to each side with a 10 second increment from move 1 for the entire game. While Blitz also sharpens your instincts, tactical alertness, and ability to make quick decisions under pressure, its short time frame often leaves little room for deeper strategic thought. Rapid offers a sweet spot between speed and depth. This format is excellent for testing new openings in practical scenarios and enhancing intuition-based decision-making. Playing multiple rapid games in a day helps build stamina, and the ability to recover from the previous game. It is a useful tool during training as one can fit in more rapid games than classical games into their routine due to paucity of time, so players can try out more ideas utilizing this format.

Magnus Carlsen vs D. Gukesh, GCT Rapid and Blitz, Croatia 2025

Position after 22…Nf6

22 moves into the game, we see that Gukesh has steered the game into the kind of imbalanced terrain he thrives in. With material equal, the key difference lies in piece dynamics: Gukesh’ two knights against Carlsen’s bishop pair. Usually positions with such a closed centre as this one typically favour Knights. However, here White can attempt to open the position with a pawn break on the flank, creating room for his Bishops to attack Black’s weaknesses. Carlsen attempts this with:

23. b4?

But this is the wrong flank! If you break open the Queenside, then where do you hide your King? Better would have been 23. 0-0-0, tucking away the White King to safety and following it up with h4 on the Kingside – where the Black King on g7 would have become a target of the newly opened files and diagonals. White would be the one attacking after this move. Instead, the tables turn.

23... ab 24. cxb4 Nxa4 25. Bd3

Here Gukesh comes up with a brilliant pawn sacrifice, reminiscent of the King's Indian Defense:

25... c6!! 26. dxc6 d5!!

The centre explodes. Black's pawn on d5 is ready to push to d4, seizing space and preparing a powerful outpost for his Knight on c3. Both rooks—one already on a8, the other one ready to join via the c-file—are ready to join the party. Alternatively, he can also capture de4 on the next move, opening up the ‘d’ file for his h8 Rook.

The game continued 27. exd5 Nxd5 28. a3 Rhd8 29. Rc1 Rd6 30. Bxb5 Ndc3!

White’s rook on g1 remains out of the loop, unable to join the defense. Meanwhile, all of Black’s pieces are thriving.

31. Bc5 Nxb5 32. Bxd6 Nxd6 33. Kf2 Nb6 34. Qd3 Qe6

Despite the position being objectively near equality, the practical pressure on White is immense due to the action being directed against his King. Carlsen went wrong here with:

35. Rc5? Afterall, how much pressure is too much pressure? Better was 35.Rge1, activating the g1-rook and creating a safe haven for his king on the newly vacated square on g1.

35... e4!! 36. Qd4+ Kg8 37. Rd1 exf3!

There is no need to protect the Knight when you can deliver Checkmate instead! 38. Qd6 will be met with 38…Qe2 Check – Kg1 – Qg2 Checkmate.

38. Re5 Qh3! Not allowing a breather to the White King. 39. Kxf3 Nbc4 40. Ra5 Nxa5 41. bxa5 Qf5+ 42. Kg2 Qc2+ 43. Kg1 Nf5 44. Qd7 Ne3 45. Rd2 Qc1+ 46. Kf2 Ng4+ 47. Ke2 Ne5 48. Qe7 Nxc6 49. Qe4 Rxa5 White resigned.

0–1

Gukesh truly came at the King this time, and did not miss. A brilliant win, highlighting how lesser time on the clock increases the practical assessment of the position, reducing the objective value which may be based on deep calculations and thorough planning – Afterall, there is not enough time to do everything even in 24 hours, then what chance does one have in 15 minutes!?