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NEW DELHI: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won the Tata Steel Masters chess event on Sunday in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands, after rallying from behind to defeat world champion D. Gukesh 2-1 in the tiebreaker.
After finishing the 13th and final round of the competition tied for first place with 8.5 points apiece, there was the usual drama that comes with two young players trying to win every tiebreak match.
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Both of the young players lost shockingly in the last round after captivating the chess enthusiasts with their aggressive and inventive play over the past few days to lead the group.
Praggnanandhaa also suffered a surprising setback against Germany’s Vincent Keymer, while Gukesh lost to fellow countryman Arjun Erigaisi. However, they both managed to maintain their joint-leading position with 5.5 points apiece.
In the opening game of the tiebreak, Praggnanandhaa met Benoni in reverse colors, and it appeared that he had easily equalized in the middle game. But Praggnanandhaa made a mistake that cost him a full rook, and Gukesh had other ideas as he continued to try and prevailed.
Praggnanandhaa used the Trompowsky opening in the second game of the tiebreaker, which Gukesh had to win, and this time he had a small edge with his black pieces.
By simply holding his position, Praggnanandhaa calmly waited and took advantage of an unintentional mistake made by his opponent to first knock down a pawn. His technical skills were subsequently sufficient to win the typical blitz games 1-1.
Praggnanandhaa drew white as a result, and Gukesh once again outplayed him with some creative play on the queen side, winning him a pawn. This put the match in sudden death.
Praggnanandhaa attempted to defend a weaker ending despite the sudden-death having a time limit of two minutes and thirty seconds for white and three for black.
Gukesh lost total control in the battle of nerves and lost a piece and then his lone knight just as the position appeared to be absolutely drawn and another game was imminent.
With flawless technique, Praggnanandhaa won his first Masters title and the entire point.
Gukesh lost the tiebreaker after tying for top place for the second consecutive year. Chinese Wei Yi defeated Gukesh in the previous tournament last year.
