Young grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa recently won the 2025 Tata Steel Chess competition, defeating world champion D Gukesh to claim the Masters title. He received a hero’s welcome when he returned to Chennai on Tuesday, where officials from the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) greeted him.
R Praggnanandhaa’s Triumph at Tata Steel Chess 2025
Upon returning to the city, R Praggnanandhaa talked about how players like Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi motivated him to put in more effort and work harder.
“I didn’t have a great end to 2024. So I worked hard for it (the tournament). I am happy to have such a great start to this year. Gukesh also played well. It was an exciting tiebreaker. Results from other Indian chess players like Gukesh winning the world championship or Arjun Erigaisi crossing 2800 (Elo rating in classical chess) inspired me to work harder. Another reason was that I wasn’t happy with my game. I wanted to play better. So I kept practising,” he said.
Historic Win: First Indian Champion Since Viswanathan Anand
The win also made Praggnanandhaa the first Indian since Viswanathan Anand in 2006 to win the Tata Steel Chess title. Meanwhile, Gukesh, who became world champion last year, suffered his first tournament loss. His first defeat as a world champion came in the final round against Arjun Erigaisi.
R Praggnanandhaa, however, lost his final round game to German GM Vincent Keymer in a match that lasted nearly seven hours.
With both players tied at 8.5 points, a tiebreak playoff was held. Gukesh won the first game, but R Praggnanandhaa leveled it by winning the second. He then triumphed in the sudden death round to secure the title.
Viswanathan Anand shared a witty message to Praggnanandhaa after his victory, reminding him that Anand has won five Tata Steel Chess titles. “Mere pass panch hai .. IYKYK!” he posted on “X”.
R Praggnanandhaa completed the tournament with six wins, five draws, and two losses, while Gukesh won five matches, drew seven, and lost one (excluding the tiebreak).
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