R Praggnanandhaa recently matched the achievement of the legendary Viswanathan Anand by defeating world champion D Gukesh and winning the 2025 Tata Steel Chess Masters title in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. He is the first Indian since Anand in 2006 to win this prestigious title.
Viswanathan Anand’s Heartfelt Congratulations to the Young Champion
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand congratulated 19-year-old chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa on his first major title win, praising his achievement on ‘X’.
“Indian chess winter at Wijk! Congratulations to @rpraggnachess on winning his first @tatasteelchess event in Wijk aan Zee. The last day was not typical at all of his play. He played many brilliant games, but yesterday he got outplayed, then tenaciously defended a lost position. The tragedy for him was after getting close to the desired goal of a draw he blundered again.”
“@DGukesh had lost a while ago to Arjun, so we were in the unusual situation of both title contenders losing their games and going to the tiebreak. @Wacachess,” Viswanathan Anand posted.
Indian chess winter at Wijk!
Congratulations to @rpraggnachess on winning his first @tatasteelchess event in Wijk aan Zee. The last day was not typical at all of his play. He played many brilliant games, but yesterday he got outplayed, then tenaciously defended a lost position.…— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) February 3, 2025
“In the tiebreak, @rpraggnachess lost the first game before winning the next two to become the 2025 champion. Given what he had been through, just hanging in there would have been an unimaginable effort,” he added.
Vishwanathan Anand then made a playful comment using a popular phrase, reminding Praggnanandhaa that he had won five titles at the Tata Steel Chess tournament. Anand’s victories at the tournament came in 1989, 1998, 2003, 2004, and 2006.
“Mere pass panch hai .. IYKYK!,” the 55-year-old wrote along with a photo of Praggnanandhaa holding the trophy.
In the tiebreak, @rpraggnachess lost the first game before winning the next two to become the 2025 champion. Given what he had been through, just hanging in there would have been an unimaginable effort
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) February 3, 2025
Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa: A Tale of Two Rising Stars in Chess
After 13 rounds at the Tata Steel Chess tournament, it was all tied up between Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh. Gukesh had two draws and one loss (against Arjun Erigaisi) in his last three rounds, while Praggnanandhaa won against Fabiano Caruana and Alexey Sarana in Rounds 11 and 12, before losing to Vincent Keymer in Round 13.
With Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh tied at 8.5 points, play-off tiebreak games were held. Gukesh won the first game with the white pieces, but Praggnanandhaa equalized by winning the second game with white. The match remained even, leading to a sudden-death decider. In the final game, Gukesh blundered, and Praggnanandhaa seized the opportunity to become the champion.
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