New Delhi: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa humorously said that he will gift fellow GM Arjun Erigaisi something after lifting the Tata Steel Chess Masters tournament on Monday in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. The 19-year-old defeated world champion D Gukesh in a tie-breaker after going down in the first game. He showed prudence in the classical game during the sudden death to seal the tie by 2-1.
This was only possible after Arjun defeated Gukesh in the 13th and final round. This allowed Praggnanandhaa to share the lead with Gukesh as the joint-leader with 8.5 points each. Had Gukesh outrightly won his game against Arjun, the youngest world champion would have claimed the pole position. Even Praggnanandhaa had lost his last round game to Germany’s Vincent Keymer.
In an interview with commentator Fiona Steil-Antoni following his title triumph, Praggnanandhaa said that he should think of gifting Arjun as the latter paved the way for the tiebreaker against Gukesh.
“I think I should probably buy something for Arjun. I think that’s the thing I should do,” the World No.14 joked.
“I didn’t really expect (Arjun’s win over Gukesh). Because at some point felt that Gukesh was actually better. When I saw the result (between Gukesh and Arjun), I had already misplayed and I was in such a difficult position that I could not really do much than sit and defend. I didn’t think practically I had any chance (to win title) in my own position,” he added.
Praggnandhaa became the second Indian chess player to win the Tata Steel Chess tournament with legendary player Viswanathan Anand having won the event five times in his storied career. The 55-year-old Anand took to his social media handle to congratulate the youngster on the achievement, but not without boasting about his achievement in a joking manner. He wrote: ‘Mere pas panch hai’ (I have won five of them (titles). R Praggnanandhaa won the Tata Steel Chess Masters tournament, defeating D Gukesh in a tie-break. His victory was partly due to Arjun Erigaisi’s win over Gukesh in the final round, creating a tie for the lead. Praggnanandhaa humorously promised a gift to Erigaisi for his crucial role in his win. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
