The Indian rise in international chess continued as Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa battled through tiredness and pressure to beat world champion D Gukesh in a matchup between two Indian players, winning the Tata Steel Masters title for the first time in his career.
R Praggnanandhaa Wins Tata Steel Masters Title
The 19-year-old from Chennai, a city known for its strong chess tradition, came from behind to defeat the 18-year-old world number three 2-1 in a tiebreaker after both players ended the main rounds tied with 8.5 points each, following losses in their 13th-round games.
Gukesh lost to fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi, while Praggnanandhaa was defeated by Vincent Keymer from Germany.
In the tie-breaker, there was a lot of excitement, as both young players were determined to win every game in the tournament.
“I am still shaking, it was such a crazy day. I don’t know how to express. I didn’t really expect to win. Somehow things went my way,” Praggnanandhaa told the official tournament website after his triumph.
When asked if it was the most tense day of his chess career, which started when he was just two years old, he said: “Today is more special because I won the tournament. Definitely most stressful day.”
The Road to Victory: Praggnanandhaa’s Strategic Play
In the first game of the tie-break, Praggnanandhaa played the Benoni with reversed colors and seemed to have equalized comfortably in the middle game.
However, Gukesh had other plans and kept pushing, eventually winning after Praggnanandhaa made a blunder that cost him a full rook.
In the must-win second game, Praggnanandhaa chose the Trompowsky opening, but this time Gukesh held a slight advantage with the black pieces.
“I was just trying to relax, to rest a bit. It was a very difficult game. Against Vincent I didn’t play anywhere close to the level I was playing here. I should buy something for Arjun. At some point I thought Gukesh was better,” the former world youth champion quipped.
“For sure, (this win) it is the highlight. When I came here, I wanted to win but the field was very strong. I didn’t really think about it much until yesterday,” he added.
“I am completely exhausted. I was also quite tired. I just want to get some rest now.” During the tie-break, Praggnanandhaa patiently held his position, waiting for an opportunity. He capitalized on an unforced error from Gukesh, first winning a pawn, and then used his technical skills to navigate through the normal blitz games, ending with a 1-1 score.
This pushed the match into sudden death, where Praggnanandhaa drew white. Once again, Gukesh gained the upper hand with some imaginative play on the queen’s side, which helped him win a pawn.
The sudden death had a time control of two minutes and thirty seconds for white, and three minutes for black. However, that didn’t stop Praggnanandhaa from defending a difficult endgame despite being at a disadvantage.
Just as the position seemed completely drawn and another game appeared likely, Gukesh lost control in a battle of nerves. He first dropped a pawn and then lost his last remaining knight.
Praggnanandhaa displayed flawless technique to claim the full point and secure his maiden victory at the Masters.
For Gukesh, this marked the second consecutive year he tied for first but lost in the tiebreaker. In the previous edition, he had been defeated by Chinese player Wei Yi.
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