New Delhi: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa played a brilliant draw with reigning world champion D Gukesh in the eighth round of the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.
The 2023 World Cup runner-up played with the whites with a Berlin defense, but Gukesh was watchful of the moves to respond accordingly. The recent Khel Ratna awardee made a sacrifice of his pawn to pave a way for a counter-attacking move. Praggnanadhaa did try to get into the game with both players settling for the Queens’ trade. It followed with both coming at the rook and minor piece endgame as Gukesh got an outside passed pawn.
Praggnanadhaa had the task to let the rook work against the pawn and it eventually resulted in a draw after a total of 33 moves. The latest draw has put both Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh level on points with both players sharing 5.5 points.
The clash between the World Champion and World Cup Runner-up ended in a draw! The 8th round battle at Tata Steel Chess Masters 2025 between R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh ended in a draw after a tense and interesting fight. Both players continue to lead, having 5.5/8 points each!… pic.twitter.com/znsHxcgFYI
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) January 26, 2025
Nodribek Abudsattorov of Uzbekistan was also on the verge of sharing a point with the fourth placed Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia.
Other Indian Performances at Tata Steel Masters 2025
Among other Indians in the fray, Grandmaster P Harirkishna played out a draw with highest ranked Dutchman Anish Giri. The Arkhengelsk variation in the Ruy Lopez as black gave Giri an easy equality in the early middle game and the pieces got exchanged in a heap.
The players arrived at an absolutely level rook and pawns endgame where the draw was a just result. Harikrishna moved to four points out of a possible eight, while Anish took his tally to 3.5 following his seventh straight draw.
Arjun Erigaisi played out a draw with Alexey Sarana of Serbia, while Leon Luke Mendonca also got the same result against Jorden van Foreest of Holland. Arjun on two points is a half point behind Mendonca.
(With agency inputs)
The eighth round of the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament saw a thrilling draw between Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and reigning world champion D Gukesh. Both players showcased exceptional skills, resulting them sharing points at 5.5. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
