1/27/2025 – Wei Yi and Fabiano Caruana scored victories in round 8 of the Tata Steel Masters, with Wei beating Max Warmerdam and Caruana getting the better of Vincent Keymer. The two winners of the day stand a full point behind co-leaders Gukesh Dommaraju, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Meanwhile, Thai Dai Van Nguyen defeated Lu Miaoyi to become the sole leader in the Challengers section. Monday marks the penultimate rest day for the players. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
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Five rounds to go
With the eighth round on Sunday, the second third of this year's Tata Steel Tournament 2025 was completed. Monday marks the second rest day. The final rest day will take place on the upcoming Thursday (30 January), ensuring the tournament concludes on the spectator-friendly Sunday with the last round starting earlier than usual, at noon.
The round begins with a gong | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.
The penultimate Sunday round featured a summit meeting of players from the top quarter of the standings. Two of the three co-leaders, Pragnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Gukesh Dommaraju, faced each other, while the third member of the leading trio, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, was up against challenger Vladimir Fedoseev. Both games ended in a draw.
The duel of Indian co-leaders | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
Vincent Keymer is experiencing a somewhat unfortunate tournament. Before the eighth round, Germany's top player had one win and two losses to his name. In round eight, he faced Fabiano Caruana, the world number two and 2018 challenger for the world crown. Playing with the white pieces, Keymer tried the Exchange Variation in the Queen's Gambit and gained a promising position. However, as the game progressed into the middlegame, the position increasingly favoured the US grandmaster. Caruana could have sealed victory earlier but missed a strong opportunity. Nonetheless, with an extra exchange, he comfortably prevailed in the endgame.
Vincent Keymer | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
From Mating with a queen; a rook; two bishops; a knight and a bishop; to the basics of pawn endgames – here you will gain the necessary know-how to turn your endgame advantages into victories!
Another player to add his name to the winners' list was Wei Yi. After a lively Scottish Opening, his opponent Max Warmerdam sacrificed an exchange for a pawn and achieved sufficient compensation. However, in the endgame, the Dutch player was tactically outplayed.
The biggest loser of the Masters 2025 so far is undoubtedly Arjun Erigaisi. After losing to Max Warmerdam in round seven, the Indian player secured a quick draw with the white pieces against Alexey Sarana. With four losses and three draws, Arjun has already dropped over 30 Elo points and has fallen to sixth place on the live ratings list. He still must face tough opponents in Gukesh and Abdusattorov, as well as games against Van Foreest and Keymer.
The games between Pentala Harikrishna and Anish Giri, as well as between Leon Mendonca and Jorden van Foreest, also ended in draws.
Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.
Round 8 results
Standings
All games
Challengers: Nguyen grabs the sole lead
In the Challengers, Thai Dai Van Nguyen has become the sole leader after emerging victorious in his game against Chinese teenager Lu Miaoyi. Erwin l'Ami, on the other hand, could not achieve more than a draw against Ediz Gürel. The game between Benjamin Bok and Frederik Svane also ended in a draw.
This course will enhance your understanding of the King’s Indian Defence. Perfect for anyone looking to improve their opening strategy, reduce mistakes, and develop a winning game plan.
The Lübeck player stands in a solid mid-table position with a +1 score (4½ out of 8). The game between Arthur Pijpers and Vaishali Rameshbabu also ended without a winner.
Aydin Suleymanli got the better of Faustino Oro | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
However, a full point was scored by the 19-year-old Aydin Suleymanli against his opponent Faustino Oro, who is eight years younger. Divya Deshmuk was defeated by Kazybek Nogerbek, while Nodirbek Yakubboev won against Irina Bulmaga.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Opening videos: Sipke Ernst brings the Ulvestad Variation up to date + Part II of ‘Mikhalchishin's Miniatures’. Special: Jan Werle shows highlights from the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in the video. ‘Lucky bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, Illingworth et al.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of King’s Indian and Pirc structures with colours reversed, often arising from the French or Sicilian.
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