Chess
Tata Steel Chess, Round 7: Gukesh joins leaders with victory over Harikrishna
Gukesh joins Praggnanandhaa and Abdusattorov at the top of Tata Steel Chess standings with a win in Round 7.
Gukesh D won the World Chess Championship in Singapore. (Photo Credit: FIDE)
World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh secured a crucial win against Pentala Harikrishna in Round 7 of the Tata Steel Chess Masters to join the tournament leaders with 5 points.
Gukesh is now tied at the top with R Praggnanandhaa and Nodirbek Abdusattorov as the competition heads into its second half.
This marks the second time in the tournament that Gukesh has defeated one of his seconds from the 2024 FIDE World Championship.
He previously bested Vincent Keymer and now overcame Harikrishna, who opted for the French Defense. Gukesh gained the upper hand after an inaccurate move by Harikrishna on move 15 and converted his positional advantage into victory, forcing Harikrishna to resign after 45 moves.
Other Highlights
Max Warmerdam and Vladimir Fedoseev also recorded victories in Round 7, while Praggnanandhaa drew with Jordan van Foreest, maintaining his spot at the top of the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi's struggles continued, with a loss to Warmerdam extending his winless streak at the Tata Steel Masters to 20 games across two editions.
With three players tied for the lead, the tournament's next round promises high stakes as Gukesh faces Praggnanandhaa in a clash that could significantly influence the title race.
Round 7 Results:
- Dommaraju Gukesh 1-0 Pentala Harikrishna
- Jordan van Foreest 0.5-0.5 R Praggnanandhaa
- Max Warmerdam 1-0 Arjun Erigaisi
- Anish Giri 0.5-0.5 Nodirbek Abdusattorov
- Wei Yi 0.5-0.5 Leon Luke Mendonca
- Fabiano Caruana 0.5-0.5 Alexey Sarana
- Vladimir Fedoseev 1-0 Vincent Keymer
Standings After Round 7:
1. Dommaraju Gukesh: 5
1. R Praggnanandhaa: 5
1. Nodirbek Abdusattorov: 5
4. Vladimir Fedoseev: 4.5
5. Alexey Sarana: 4
