New Delhi: The third round of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 brought thrilling moments as R Praggnanandhaa faced India’s top player, Arjun Erigaisi. Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa showcased his skills and emerged as the standout player of the day.
The game took an exciting turn when Arjun captured Praggnanandhaa’s queen early on with Qxd1. Praggnanandhaa quickly countered with Rxd1. As the game progressed, Arjun held his ground, but a crucial error on his 51st move allowed Praggnanandhaa to take control. The decisive moment came on move 56 when Arjun made another mistake with Rxd3, leading him to resign by the 60th move. This match was the longest of the round.
With this victory, Praggnanandhaa currently leads the tournament with a score of 2.5 out of 3. This is an impressive start in the 87th edition of Wijk aan Zee.
India had a historic representation at the tournament, with five players competing. This meant facing fellow countrymen was quite common. Praggnanandhaa’s win was a highlight, but another Indian player, Leon Luke Mendonca, made headlines too. After two tough losses, he faced veteran Pentala Harikrishna and delivered a strong performance despite battling illness. Leon, just 18, played aggressively against the much older Harikrishna. Their match ended in a draw on the 44th move, marking Leon’s first point in the tournament. For Harikrishna, this was a good recovery after his defeat to Praggnanandhaa.
In another match, D Gukesh played cautiously against World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, leading to a quick draw. Gukesh hinted at a draw on the 22nd move, which Caruana accepted after recognizing the situation. This strategic decision might stem from Gukesh’s busy schedule and previous awards, including the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
In other matches, Yi Wei, the defending Masters champion, settled for a draw with Germany’s Vincent Keymer, while Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri also drew with Vladimir Fedoseev.
On the flip side, the Challengers section saw some surprises. Indian players Rameshbabu Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh faced defeats against Kazybek Nogerbek and Aydin Suleymanli, respectively. However, 14-year-old Lu Miaoyi secured her second win, and 12-year-old Faustino Oro from Argentina celebrated his first victory, delighting the audience.
Here’s how the standings look:
- Masters standings:
- Praggnanandhaa (2.5)
- Gukesh (2)
- Caruana (2)
- Keymer (2)
- Wei (1.5)
- Fedoseev (1.5)
- Abdusattorov (1.5)
- Sarana (1.5)
- Harikrishna (1.5)
- Warmerdam (1)
- Van Foreest (1)
- Giri (1)
- Mendonca (0.5)
- Erigaisi (0.5)
- Challengers standings:
- Lu (2.5)
- L’Ami (2.5)
- Nguyen (2.5)
- Suleymanli (2.0)
- Gurel (2.0)
- Bok (1.5)
- Nogerbek (1.5)
- Svane (1.5)
- Vaishali (1.5)
- Yakubboev (1.5)
- Oro (1.0)
- Deshmukh (0.5)
- Pijpers (0.5)
- Bulmaga (0)
The tournament continues to deliver exciting matches and stories, showcasing the talent and determination of the players.
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Wijk aan Zee,Tata Steel Chess 2025,R Praggnanandhaa,Leon Luke Mendonca,Indian chess players,Fabiano Caruana,D Gukesh,chess tournament,chess,Arjun Erigaisi
