World Champion GM Gukesh D has slipped below the 2700 barrier.
The 20-year-old was held to a draw by Indonesia's IM Satria Duta Cahaya in round two of the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, costing him enough rating points to fall below 2700 on the live list for the first time in four years.
It is another striking milestone in a prolonged loss of form for the youngest World Champion in chess history.
Gukesh's official September rating is 2703, placing him world number 32, a remarkable fall for a player who peaked at 2794 before winning the world title.
This is beginning to look desperate now. Right from the start of the Olympiad it was clear the spotlight would be fully on Gukesh to perform. Most commentators believe he needs to.
Gukesh is due to defend his crown against GM Javokhir Sindarov in Geneva later this year. Sindarov, meanwhile, entered the Olympiad rated 2778 and world number four.
The contrast between the pair's recent fortunes has become one of the biggest talking points ahead of the match.
GM Fabiano Caruana recently acknowledged Gukesh's run of disappointing results but warned against writing him off.
"The kind of ability he had—or has, whatever you want to say—it doesn't disappear overnight," Caruana said on the C-Squared Podcast.
"So, in my opinion, it can reverse at any moment."
Gukesh's position in India's Olympiad team has already underlined how much has changed.
After winning individual gold on board one at both the 2022 and 2024 Olympiads, the World Champion is playing on board four in Samarkand, behind GM Praggnanandhaa R, GM Arjun Erigaisi and GM Nihal Sarin.
He began with a win against Oman's Faris Rashid Alriyami in round one before Thursday's draw against the 2412-rated Cahaya. India nevertheless survived a difficult match against Indonesia to win 2.5-1.5.
The number 2700 is ultimately an arbitrary line. Gukesh first crossed the 2700 mark at 16 years, three months, and three days, the fifth youngest ever result in history.
But for a reigning World Champion who was closing in on 2800 less than two years ago, falling beneath it provides a stark measure of just how far his rating has dropped.
And with the defence of his world title approaching, the question is increasingly simple: how quickly can Gukesh turn it around?