Chess
Tata Steel Masters, Round 8: Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh share spoils
Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh share the lead after drawing their top-of-the-table clash at Tata Steel Masters Round 8.
R Praggnanandhaa missed a golden chance to defeat D Gukesh at the Sinquefield Cup. (Photo Credit: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour)
The much-anticipated all-Indian clash between world champion D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa ended in a solid draw in the eighth round of the Tata Steel Masters on Sunday in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.
With both players now at 5.5 points, they remain in the joint lead alongside Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Playing the white side of a Berlin Defense, Praggnanandhaa seemed to have a slight optical advantage in the early middle game.
However, Gukesh, ever resourceful, sacrificed a pawn to activate counterplay, keeping the balance intact.
As queens were traded off, the game transitioned into a rook and minor piece endgame.
Despite Gukesh’s creation of an outside passed pawn, the result was never in doubt, with the players agreeing to a draw after 33 moves.
Other Key Results
- Winners of the Day: Fabiano Caruana and defending champion Wei Yi emerged as the big movers of the round, each clinching late wins with Black pieces. Their victories lifted them within a point of the leaders at 4.5 points.
- Abdusattorov vs. Fedoseev: Overnight co-leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov played out a quick 30-move draw against Slovenia’s Vladimir Fedoseev, who is now just half a point behind the leaders at 5.0 points.
- Harikrishna Holds Giri: Indian GM Pentala Harikrishna drew with Dutch GM Anish Giri in an Arkhangelsk variation of the Ruy Lopez. The players arrived at a rook-and-pawns endgame, which resulted in Harikrishna reaching four points while Giri moved to 3.5 points.
- Other results: Arjun Erigaisi and Leon Luke Mendonca also settled for draws against Alexey Sarana and Jordan van Foreest, respectively. Erigaisi remains on two points, while Mendonca has 2.5 points.
Standings After Round 8
1. Dommaraju Gukesh: 5.5
2. R Praggnanandhaa: 5.5
3. Nodirbek Abdusattorov: 5.5
4. Vladimir Fedoseev: 5.0
5. Fabiano Caruana: 4.5
6. Wei Yi: 4.5
7. Alexey Sarana: 4.0
8. Pentala Harikrishna: 4.0
9. Anish Giri: 3.5
10. Vincent Keymer: 3.0
11. Jordan van Foreest: 3.0
12. Max Warmerdam: 3.0
13. Leon Luke Mendonca: 2.5
14. Arjun Erigaisi: 2.0
