Pragnanandhaa Plays A Draw With D Gukesh, Clinches Tata Steel Masters 2025 Title

The World Champion D Gukesh faced a tough contest against Grandmaster R Pragnanandhaa in the Tata Steel Masters 2025 Chess final held at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. The event was between two Indian stars, which ended with same points after 13 rounds. Pragnanandhaa needed a draw to clinch the title, which he successfully did.

Tiebreak Drama Unfolds

The opening game of the tiebreak saw Pragnanandhaa make an error with the Benoni in reverse colours, costing him the game. In the second game, he employed the Trompowsky opening and capitalised on an unintentional mistake by Gukesh to level the score at 1-1.

The tiebreaker proceeded to sudden death, where players had different time allocations based on their piece colour. Pragnanandhaa displayed flawless technique under pressure, ultimately winning his first Masters title. Gukesh's nerves got the better of him during this intense phase.

Gukesh's Tiebreaker Struggles Continue

This marks the second consecutive year that Gukesh has lost in a tiebreaker at this tournament. In 2024, he was defeated by China's Wei Yi in similar circumstances. Despite his consistent performance throughout the rounds, Gukesh couldn't clinch victory when it mattered most.

After his win, Pragnanandhaa humorously mentioned gifting his title to Arjun Erigaisi. Arjun's unexpected victory over Gukesh in the final round pushed the tournament into a tiebreaker scenario. "Should probably buy something for Arjun, yeah? I didn't really expect (Arjun to beat Gukesh). Because at some point felt that Gukesh was actually better," Pragnanandhaa remarked.