The Impressive TimesNetherlands, Feb 3, 2025: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa clinched the Tata Chess Masters title after edging past India No. 1 D Gukesh in a dramatic tie-breaker. The outcome came as a major shock for Gukesh, who had been in sole lead at one point but faltered towards the final rounds, allowing Praggnanandhaa to catch up and force a tie-breaker.
Arjun Erigaisi played a key role in shaking up the tournament standings. His victory against title contender Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the penultimate round ended his 24-game winless streak in Tata Masters. He followed it up with a dominant performance against Gukesh on Sunday, delivering a one-sided victory that reshaped the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer, who had previously assisted Gukesh in his World Championship triumph, added to the unpredictability by defeating Praggnanandhaa. This result gave Gukesh a lifeline, but tie-breakers have never been his strong suit, a fact that was proven once again in the final showdown.
After his resounding win over Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi was visibly ecstatic. He admitted that the victory had reignited his self-belief after a rough start to the tournament, which saw him drop his India No. 1 ranking to Gukesh. “Yes, definitely. After yesterday’s win, I was already feeling much more confident. When I had such a tough start, I was really underconfident until yesterday,” Erigaisi stated.
Reflecting on his performance in Wijk aan Zee, he analyzed his early struggles, saying, “In the first game, I should have traded queens and gone for the opposite-colored bishop endgame, but instead, I played queen e8, which turned out to be a poor decision. A crucial moment was my game against Fedoseev, where I blundered into a tactic that he spotted immediately. That was a major setback.”
Despite his difficult start—where he failed to win a game for the first 11 rounds, lost four times, and dropped over 30 rating points along with two places in the world rankings—Arjun made a stunning comeback. In the final two rounds, he found his confidence and form, defeating two tournament leaders back-to-back with incredible precision. His win over Gukesh was particularly dominant, achieving an astonishing 98.8% accuracy.
With this remarkable turnaround, Arjun Erigaisi has signaled his resurgence on the global chess stage, while Praggnanandhaa’s victory further solidifies his position as one of India’s brightest chess talents.
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