Gukesh and Caruana Share Points in Round 3 of Tata Steel Chess

New Delhi : Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju held World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana of the USA to a draw in Round 3 of the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, yesterday. Gukesh, who made history last month in Singapore by becoming the youngest world chess champion, remains unbeaten in this tournament, adding to his growing reputation on the global chess stage.

In other notable results, India’s Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa scored a remarkable victory over World No. 4 Arjun Erigaisi, another Indian player, securing a win with the white pieces. This win propelled Praggnanandhaa to the top of the points table, where he is tied with Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, both players sitting on 2.5 points after three rounds.

Meanwhile, Leon Luke Mendonca, after suffering two consecutive losses, managed to recover with a hard-fought draw against Pentala Harikrishna, another Indian chess stalwart. Mendonca’s resilience on the board was on full display as he held his own in a challenging encounter with Harikrishna.

In the Challengers section, both Indian players, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh, faced defeats, bringing an end to their hopes of staying unbeaten in the tournament. Despite their losses, both players remain determined to bounce back in the coming rounds.

Looking ahead to Round 4, Gukesh will face Russian Grandmaster Alexey Sarana, aiming to continue his strong run. Praggnanandhaa will take on his compatriot Mendonca in what promises to be an exciting matchup, while Arjun Erigaisi will go up against Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev.

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament follows a fourteen-player, single round-robin format, with 13 rounds in total. Each player faces every other player once, making it a test of endurance, skill, and strategy. With several rounds still to go, the competition remains wide open, and the Indian contingent is proving to be a force to be reckoned with on the international chess circuit.