Praggnanandhaa beats Gukesh in dramatic tiebreaker, wins Tata Steel Masters

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
2/3/2025 – The 2025 Tata Steel Chess Tournament concluded with a thrilling final day in both the Masters and Challengers sections. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu emerged as the Masters champion after defeating fellow Indian star Gukesh Dommaraju in a dramatic blitz playoff. The classical games saw Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer upsetting the frontrunners, while Max Warmerdam stunned top seed Fabiano Caruana. In the Challengers, Thai Dai Van Nguyen claimed first place on tiebreaks, securing a spot in next year’s Masters after finishing level on points with Aydin Suleymanli. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

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Indian prodigies continue to shine!

What a conclusion to yet another memorable edition of the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee! Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Gukesh Dommaraju entered the final round tied for first place, with Nodirbek Abdusattorov a full point behind in sole third place. For Abdusattorov to reach a potential tiebreaker, he needed to beat Pentala Harikrishna while both Indian stars lost their games. In a dramatic turn of events, both Gukesh and Pragg were indeed defeated, but Abdusattorov could only manage a draw, setting up a playoff for the tournament title.

In the final round of classical chess, Gukesh suffered a swift defeat at the hands of Arjun Erigaisi, who continued his strong finish to the event with a 31-move win - Arjun had defeated Abdusattorov in the previous round, in what was his first-ever victory in the Masters.

Meanwhile, Pragg fought for over six hours against Vincent Keymer, but ultimately lost after 80 moves. Keymer, playing with the white pieces, converted an extra pawn in a complex endgame with queens and bishops of opposite colours. While the engine evaluation showed a clear advantage for the German GM, Pragg put up stiff resistance, and at moments it seemed he might salvage a draw - an outcome that would have given him outright victory. In the end, however, Keymer managed to convert his advantage, leading to a blitz tiebreaker between the two Indian prodigies.

The playoff featured two blitz games with a 3+2 time control, followed by sudden-death encounters if needed. Gukesh and Pragg each won once with the white pieces in the initial mini-match. In the first sudden-death game, Pragg had white and found himself in trouble, but he held on until reaching a balanced knight endgame.

Praggnanandhaa v. Gukesh - Playoff game #3
If anybody has chances to push for more in this position with a perfectly symmetrical pawn structure, it is Black. However, Gukesh faltered decisively on move 51, allowing Pragg to claim the title.

In a shocking twist, Gukesh blundered in the technical phase, allowing Pragg to seize the advantage and claim victory.

With this dramatic win, Pragg, aged 19, secured the Tata Steel Masters title, capping off an incredible final day in Wijk aan Zee.

Gukesh Dommaraju, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu

Gukesh Dommaraju's frustration after misplaying a drawn knight endgame | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Pragg's victory marked a major milestone in his career, as he claimed his first-ever triumph in a super-tournament. Despite losing his final-round classical game, he gained 17.2 rating points, climbing to world number 7. His performance in Wijk aan Zee adds to an already impressive résumé, which includes reaching the final of the 2023 World Cup after knocking out, among others, Arjun, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana. In the final, he lost to Magnus Carlsen, but his deep run in the event secured him a spot in the upcoming Candidates Tournament.

Gukesh, competing in his first tournament as world champion, also made a significant rating gain of 10.2 points, moving up to world number 3. He was the sole leader of the event from rounds 9 to 11 and had a strong chance to take the title outright,as only a final-round loss meant he had to go to tiebreaks. In the playoff, he started with a win and later obtained a superior position in the third blitz game, but an endgame blunder allowed Pragg to take the victory. This was also the second year in a row that Gukesh finished tied for first place in Wijk aan Zee, having lost the 2024 playoff against Wei Yi.

India's growing influence in world chess was further reinforced by these performances, as three of its young stars now sit in the world's top 10. Gukesh is ranked third, while Pragg's success has pushed him to seventh place. Although Arjun had a disappointing showing in the tournament, he remains a strong presence in the top 10, currently ranked fifth. As noted during the final-round commentary from Wijk, it is not unlikely that the next World Championship match could be an all-Indian showdown.

Vaishali Rameshbabu, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu

The winning family: Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa with their mum, who often accompanies her in tournaments | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Gukesh, Pragg and Arjun amid a magnificent group of talented Indian youngsters during a 2020 training camp with Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Gelfand and ChessBase's chief editor emeritus Frederic Friedel!

All games - Blitz tiebreaks

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1.Nf3 1:37:58 d5 1:37:57 2.c4 29 e6 30 3.g3 30 Nf6 32 4.Bg2 30 d4 34 5.0-0 30 Nc6 30 6.d3 29 Bc5 29 A13: English Opening: 1...e6. 7.a3 45 With the idea b4. a5 31 8.Bg5 30 h6 35 The position is equal. 9.Bxf6 30 Qxf6 30 10.Nbd2 29 Qe7 34 11.Ne4N 1:03 11.Qc2 0-0 12.Nb3 e5 13.Nxc5 Qxc5 14.Rfe1 Bf5 15.Nd2 Rad8 16.Reb1 Rfe8 17.b4 axb4 18.axb4 Nxb4 ½-½ Aleksandrenkov,E (1930)-Kigel,D (2007) UKR-ch U12 Ternopol 2005 (2) 11...a4 29 12.Nxc5 32 Qxc5 29 13.Nd2 29 0-0 31 14.Qc2 34 e5 42 15.Rfb1 30 Ra7 47 16.b4 30 axb3 30 17.Rxb3 29 Qe7 44 18.Rb5 48 Rxa3 1:24 19.Re1 1:13 Ra7 48 20.Qb2 31 Rd8 44 21.h4 31 Nb8 37 22.e3 32 c6 29 23.Rb3 31 Qc7 35 24.Nf3 32
24...Na6 32 24...c5! 25.exd4 exd4 25.Ra3 34 Qd6 33 25...dxe3= 26.Rxe3 e4 27.Rxe4 Be6 26.exd4 31 exd4 29 27.Qb6 36 27.Nxd4!? Ra8 27...Qxd4 28.Re8+ Kh7 29.Qxd4± 28.Nc2 27...Ra8 35 28.Nxd4 59 Nc7 30
28...Qxd4? 29.Re8+ Rxe8 30.Qxd4+- 28...Bd7= keeps the balance. 29.Nc2 Rab8 29.Rxa8 40 29.Nb5!± cxb5 30.Qxd6 Rxd6 31.Rxa8 Nxa8 32.Re8+ 32.cxb5? Kf8-+ 32...Kh7 33.c5 33.Rxc8 Nb6± 29...Nxa8= 29 30.Qa7 29 Nc7! 35 30...Qxd4?! 31.Re8+ 31.Qxa8 Qxd3 32.Qa5 Qd4 31...Kh7 32.Qxd4 32.Qxa8 Rxe8 33.Qb8 Re1+ 34.Kh2 Qxf2-+ 32...Rxd4 33.Rxc8± 31.Qa5 36 Qxd4 39 31...Na6!? 32.Nf5 Bxf5 33.Qxf5 g6 33...Qxd3? loses. 34.Qxd3 Rxd3 35.Re8+ Kh7 36.Be4+ g6 37.Bxd3+- 32.Qxc7 30 Qxd3 29 33.Re7 31 33.Bd5! Rf8 34.Bxf7+ Kh7 35.Qe7 33...Be6 33 Better is 33...Rf8! 34.Qf4 Qb1+ 35.Kh2 Qb6 34.Qxb7 33 c5 31 35.Qc7 29 Qd6? 31      
Loses the game. 35...Qd1+= 36.Kh2 Qd4 36...Bxc4 37.Re4= 36.Re8+‼+- 30       White is clearly winning. Kh7 30 36...Rxe8 37.Qxd6 37.Qxd8 30 Qe5 29 38.Rh8+ 30 Kg6 28 39.Qd3+ 29 Bf5 29 40.Qe3 29 Qd6 29 41.Re8 50:31 Be4 is the strong threat. Be6 50:31 42.Be4+ 30 Weighted Error Value: White=0.67/Black=0.98 Loses game: --- Black=1 Mistake: White=2 Black=4 Inaccurate: White=8 Black=5 OK: White=8 Black=7 Best: White=2 Black=2 Strong: --- Black=1 Brilliant: White=1 ---
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gukesh,D2777Praggnanandhaa,R27411–02025A1387th Tata Steel Masters-TB 20251.1
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Gukesh,D27771–02025D0387th Tata Steel Masters-TB 20251.2
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Gukesh,D27771–02025D0287th Tata Steel Masters-TB 20251.3

Round 13: Arjun and Keymer end on a high note

Three games ended decisively in the final round of classical chess, two of which directly impacted the final standings, as mentioned above. Arjun and Keymer defeated the co-leaders, Gukesh and Pragg, respectively.

The third winner of the day was Max Warmerdam, who upset top seed Fabiano Caruana with the black pieces. Warmerdam, who had suffered three consecutive losses before the final round, ended his campaign on a positive note. Caruana, on the other hand, finished with a -1 score and lost 19.9 rating points, a major setback for the world number two.

Arjun's win over Gukesh was particularly impressive, as he played forcefully in a position with opposite-side castling to secure a 31-move victory. A critical moment arose on move 14, when Gukesh played the natural-looking 14.Bxh3 instead of sacrificing an exchange with 14.Bf3

Gukesh v. Arjun

The latter move would have allowed White to keep the bishop pair with attacking chances, a choice the world champion might have considered more seriously under different circumstances.

In the game, Arjun's kingside attack proved to be more effective than Gukesh's rook-led initiative. Once Black had established full control, Arjun played the precise 28...Kd8 to consolidate his advantage.

The alternative 28...Kb8 would have allowed White to complicate matters with 29.g4, when Black would be forced to play 29...Qh1+, entering a superior endgame. However, Black should not play 29...Qb5, as happened in the game, because of 30.Qg3+ Ka8 31.Rxa7+ (diagram below) Kxa7, after which Black would be forced to block the check with his queen.

Analysis diagram

In the game, Arjun's rooks broke through decisively along the h-file, sealing the victory.

Keymer's victory over Pragg was a long technical battle, as the German grandmaster worked hard to convert his extra pawn in an endgame with bishops of opposite colours. At one point, Keymer gave up his extra pawn in an attempt to break through, and despite having a winning position, he blundered with 70.e5

Keymer v. Praggnanandhaa

Praggnanandhaa found the correct response with 70...Bxe5, as he had an escape route after 71.Be4 Kg8. However, just five moves later, Pragg made a crucial mistake under pressure, allowing Keymer to claim victory.


Expert commentary

Analysis by GM Daniel King

Analysis by IM Sagar Shah


Round 13 results

NameRtg.Nt.Pts.Pts.NameRtgNt.
2768
½-½
6
2695
2717
7
½-½
2751
2733
5
1-0
2741
2777
0-1
2801
2731
½-½
5
2680
2803
6
0-1
2646
2677
5
½-½
2639

Standings

Rk.NameRtg.Nt.Pts.n
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
TBPerf.
1
2777
8.5
13
53.00
2832
2
2741
8.5
13
52.75
2834
3
2768
8.0
13
49.00
2809
4
2717
7.5
13
46.50
2783
5
2751
7.0
13
44.25
2753
6
2731
7.0
13
44.25
2754
7
2695
6.5
13
37.75
2728
8
2733
6.0
13
38.25
2696
9
2803
6.0
13
38.00
2691
10
2801
5.5
13
37.50
2663
11
2680
5.5
13
35.75
2672
12
2677
5.5
13
35.00
2672
13
2639
5.0
13
31.25
2645
14
2646
4.5
13
26.75
2622
TBs: Sonneborn-Berger

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1.e4 7 c5 19 2.Nf3 8 d6 16 3.Nc3 8 Nc6 35 4.d4 1:21 cxd4 6 5.Nxd4 6 Nf6 5 6.Be2 1:09 g6 22 7.Be3 1:02 Bg7 15 8.Qd2 41 0-0 36 9.0-0-0 40 d5 2:06 10.Bf3 59 dxe4 24:30 11.Nxc6 1:15 Qc7 18 12.Nxe7+ 17:38 Qxe7 11 13.Be2 24 Ng4 4:31 14.Bxg4 14:19 Bxg4 16 15.Qd6 6 Qe8 16:50 16.Rd2 10:57 Rc8 21:55 17.Bd4 22:38 Rd8 43 18.Qxd8 23 Qxd8 11 19.Bxg7 5 Qe8 4:02 20.Bxf8 5:15 e3 10 21.fxe3 3:09 Kxf8 5 22.Re1 1:46 Qe5 2:01 23.g3 22 Be6 3:56 24.a3 1:16 Kg7 52 25.Rd4 1:40 Qh5 1:34 26.Re2 58 Qf3 1:34 27.b3! 2:24 h5 5:16 28.Kb2 1:38 Qf6 43 29.a4 3:39 b6 3:35 30.Red2 6:40 Qe5 3:37 31.e4 2:10 Kh6 2:52 32.Rd6 1:10 Kg7 1:11 33.R6d4 3:27 Kh6! 4:10 34.Nd5 54 Bg4 3:19 35.Ne3 1:20 Be6 20 36.Ka2 2:09 Qg5 31 37.Nd5 40 h4 2:54 38.gxh4 1:23 Qxh4 5 39.Nc7 43 Bh3 26 40.R4d3 2:30 Bg4 1:47 41.Nb5 8:29 Qe7 1:51 42.Nd6 1:01 Qf6 15:24 43.e5 10:31 Qf1 2:24 44.Rd4 8:08 Be6 1:20 45.Rh4+ 1:06 Kg5 1:46 46.Re4 1:03 Kh6 1:55 47.Kb2 1:16 g5 4:15 48.Nb5 1:06 Bf5 4:16 49.Ree2 4:00 Bg4 26 50.Rg2 3:58 Qe1 2:11 51.Nd4 20 51.Nxa7?! Qxe5+ 52.c3 Qe1± 51...Qe4 5:10 52.Ka2 2:18 Bh5 1:18 53.Nc6! 4:16 Bg6 2:02
53...a6 54.Rd6+ Bg6 54.Ne7!+- 47 Bh5? 2:23 54...Qxe5 keeps fighting. 55.Nxg6 Kxg6 55.Ng8++- 41 Kg6 5 56.Ne7+ 2:23 56.Rd6+? Kg7 57.Rgd2 57.Rxg5+? Bg6-+ 57...Kxg8-+ 56...Kh6 8
57.h4! 2:54 g4 7 58.Ng8+ 2:06 Kg6 5:11 59.Nf6 22 Qf3 8 60.Rg1 2:30 Kh6 4:54 60...Qc3 61.Rf2 61.Rdg2 Kh6± 61...g3 61...Qxe5? too greedy. 62.Nxg4 Qd4 63.Nf6+ Kh6 64.Rgg2+- 61.Rdg2 16:13 61.Rd8 Qe2 62.Rh8+ Kg6 63.Rg8+ 63.Nxh5 Qxc2+ 64.Ka1 f5= 63...Kf5 64.Kb1 64.Nxh5 Qxc2+ 65.Ka1 Qc3+ 66.Ka2 Qc2+ 67.Ka1 Qc3+ 68.Ka2 Qc2+= 61...Qf5+- 15:06 62.Kb1 32 Inferior is 62.Nxg4+ Bxg4 63.Rxg4 Qxc2+ 64.Ka3 Qc5+ 65.Ka2 Qc2+ 66.Ka3 Qc5+ 67.Ka2 Qf2+ 68.Ka3 Qc5+= 62...Bg6 6 63.h5 28
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Harikrishna,P2695Erigaisi,A28011–02025B7287th Tata Steel Masters 20251.1
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Abdusattorov,N2768½–½2025A2187th Tata Steel Masters 20251.2
Mendonca,L2639Keymer,V27330–12025C5887th Tata Steel Masters 20251.3
Gukesh,D2777Giri,A27311–02025E0487th Tata Steel Masters 20251.4
Wei,Y2751Caruana,F2803½–½2025C6787th Tata Steel Masters 20251.5
Van Foreest,J2680Fedoseev,V2717½–½2025C4287th Tata Steel Masters 20251.6
Warmerdam,M2646Sarana,A2677½–½2025A1187th Tata Steel Masters 20251.7
Abdusattorov,N2768Mendonca,L26391–02025C0287th Tata Steel Masters 20252.1
Caruana,F2803Van Foreest,J26801–02025D0287th Tata Steel Masters 20252.2
Keymer,V2733Warmerdam,M2646½–½2025A0687th Tata Steel Masters 20252.3
Fedoseev,V2717Gukesh,D2777½–½2025D2487th Tata Steel Masters 20252.4
Harikrishna,P2695Praggnanandhaa,R27410–12025B3087th Tata Steel Masters 20252.5
Sarana,A2677Wei,Y2751½–½2025C4887th Tata Steel Masters 20252.6
Erigaisi,A2801Giri,A2731½–½2025B9287th Tata Steel Masters 20252.7
Van Foreest,J2680Sarana,A2677½–½2025B5087th Tata Steel Masters 20253.1
Wei,Y2751Keymer,V2733½–½2025C5487th Tata Steel Masters 20253.2
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Erigaisi,A28011–02025E0487th Tata Steel Masters 20253.3
Gukesh,D2777Caruana,F2803½–½2025D3887th Tata Steel Masters 20253.4
Warmerdam,M2646Abdusattorov,N27680–12025C7887th Tata Steel Masters 20253.5
Giri,A2731Fedoseev,V2717½–½2025C5587th Tata Steel Masters 20253.6
Mendonca,L2639Harikrishna,P2695½–½2025E5287th Tata Steel Masters 20253.7
Harikrishna,P2695Warmerdam,M26461–02025E0487th Tata Steel Masters 20254.1
Caruana,F2803Giri,A2731½–½2025B3187th Tata Steel Masters 20254.2
Sarana,A2677Gukesh,D2777½–½2025E0687th Tata Steel Masters 20254.3
Abdusattorov,N2768Wei,Y2751½–½2025E2487th Tata Steel Masters 20254.4
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Mendonca,L26391–02025C7787th Tata Steel Masters 20254.5
Keymer,V2733Van Foreest,J2680½–½2025D3587th Tata Steel Masters 20254.6
Erigaisi,A2801Fedoseev,V27170–12025D3587th Tata Steel Masters 20254.7
Mendonca,L2639Erigaisi,A2801½–½2025E1087th Tata Steel Masters 20255.1
Wei,Y2751Harikrishna,P2695½–½2025C1187th Tata Steel Masters 20255.2
Fedoseev,V2717Caruana,F28031–02025D3887th Tata Steel Masters 20255.3
Warmerdam,M2646Praggnanandhaa,R2741½–½2025C1087th Tata Steel Masters 20255.4
Van Foreest,J2680Abdusattorov,N27680–12025B1287th Tata Steel Masters 20255.5
Gukesh,D2777Keymer,V27331–02025D4587th Tata Steel Masters 20255.6
Giri,A2731Sarana,A2677½–½2025C5587th Tata Steel Masters 20255.7
Erigaisi,A2801Caruana,F2803½–½2025C6787th Tata Steel Masters 20256.1
Keymer,V2733Giri,A2731½–½2025D7887th Tata Steel Masters 20256.2
Sarana,A2677Fedoseev,V27171–02025D3187th Tata Steel Masters 20256.3
Abdusattorov,N2768Gukesh,D2777½–½2025C5087th Tata Steel Masters 20256.4
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Wei,Y2751½–½2025C8387th Tata Steel Masters 20256.5
Harikrishna,P2695Van Foreest,J2680½–½2025C6687th Tata Steel Masters 20256.6
Mendonca,L2639Warmerdam,M2646½–½2025D3587th Tata Steel Masters 20256.7
Wei,Y2751Mendonca,L2639½–½2025C7787th Tata Steel Masters 20257.1
Caruana,F2803Sarana,A2677½–½2025E0587th Tata Steel Masters 20257.2
Van Foreest,J2680Praggnanandhaa,R2741½–½2025B3087th Tata Steel Masters 20257.3
Giri,A2731Abdusattorov,N2768½–½2025A2987th Tata Steel Masters 20257.4
Gukesh,D2777Harikrishna,P26951–02025C0287th Tata Steel Masters 20257.5
Fedoseev,V2717Keymer,V27331–02025D4387th Tata Steel Masters 20257.6
Warmerdam,M2646Erigaisi,A28011–02025B5087th Tata Steel Masters 20257.7
Warmerdam,M2646Wei,Y27510–12025C4587th Tata Steel Masters 20258.1
Harikrishna,P2695Giri,A2731½–½2025C7887th Tata Steel Masters 20258.2
Abdusattorov,N2768Fedoseev,V2717½–½2025C4287th Tata Steel Masters 20258.3
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Gukesh,D2777½–½2025C6587th Tata Steel Masters 20258.4
Erigaisi,A2801Sarana,A2677½–½2025D3587th Tata Steel Masters 20258.5
Keymer,V2733Caruana,F28030–12025D3687th Tata Steel Masters 20258.6
Mendonca,L2639Van Foreest,J2680½–½2025D8587th Tata Steel Masters 20258.7
Van Foreest,J2680Warmerdam,M2646½–½2025D3787th Tata Steel Masters 20259.1
Sarana,A2677Keymer,V2733½–½2025E2187th Tata Steel Masters 20259.2
Gukesh,D2777Mendonca,L26391–02025C7887th Tata Steel Masters 20259.3
Caruana,F2803Abdusattorov,N2768½–½2025D0287th Tata Steel Masters 20259.4
Giri,A2731Praggnanandhaa,R27411–02025E1187th Tata Steel Masters 20259.5
Fedoseev,V2717Harikrishna,P26951–02025D0087th Tata Steel Masters 20259.6
Wei,Y2751Erigaisi,A2801½–½2025C8987th Tata Steel Masters 20259.7
Erigaisi,A2801Keymer,V2733½–½2025C8887th Tata Steel Masters 202510.1
Harikrishna,P2695Caruana,F2803½–½2025B5087th Tata Steel Masters 202510.2
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Fedoseev,V27171–02025D3287th Tata Steel Masters 202510.3
Warmerdam,M2646Gukesh,D27770–12025B2087th Tata Steel Masters 202510.4
Abdusattorov,N2768Sarana,A26771–02025B9087th Tata Steel Masters 202510.5
Wei,Y2751Van Foreest,J2680½–½2025C5587th Tata Steel Masters 202510.6
Mendonca,L2639Giri,A2731½–½2025D1287th Tata Steel Masters 202510.7
Giri,A2731Warmerdam,M26461–02025C5087th Tata Steel Masters 202511.1
Fedoseev,V2717Mendonca,L26390–12025E0487th Tata Steel Masters 202511.2
Keymer,V2733Abdusattorov,N2768½–½2025B1387th Tata Steel Masters 202511.3
Gukesh,D2777Wei,Y2751½–½2025C5587th Tata Steel Masters 202511.4
Caruana,F2803Praggnanandhaa,R27410–12025D3587th Tata Steel Masters 202511.5
Sarana,A2677Harikrishna,P26950–12025D3787th Tata Steel Masters 202511.6
Van Foreest,J2680Erigaisi,A2801½–½2025E2487th Tata Steel Masters 202511.7
Harikrishna,P2695Keymer,V2733½–½2025E0087th Tata Steel Masters 202512.1
Wei,Y2751Giri,A2731½–½2025C4287th Tata Steel Masters 202512.2
Praggnanandhaa,R2741Sarana,A26771–02025D3687th Tata Steel Masters 202512.3
Van Foreest,J2680Gukesh,D2777½–½2025D3187th Tata Steel Masters 202512.4
Erigaisi,A2801Abdusattorov,N27681–02025E3887th Tata Steel Masters 202512.5
Warmerdam,M2646Fedoseev,V27170–12025A2087th Tata Steel Masters 202512.6
Mendonca,L2639Caruana,F2803½–½2025C5587th Tata Steel Masters 202512.7
Caruana,F2803Warmerdam,M26460–12025D0487th Tata Steel Masters 202513.1
Fedoseev,V2717Wei,Y2751½–½2025E0587th Tata Steel Masters 202513.2
Abdusattorov,N2768Harikrishna,P2695½–½2025C4487th Tata Steel Masters 202513.3
Keymer,V2733Praggnanandhaa,R27411–02025B1187th Tata Steel Masters 202513.4
Gukesh,D2777Erigaisi,A28010–12025C4287th Tata Steel Masters 202513.5
Giri,A2731Van Foreest,J2680½–½2025C6787th Tata Steel Masters 202513.6
Sarana,A2677Mendonca,L2639½–½2025E4987th Tata Steel Masters 202513.7

Challengers: Nguyen prevails

The Challengers section saw an exciting conclusion, with three players entering the final round tied for first place. In the end, two of them - Thai Dai Van Nguyen and Aydin Suleymanli - secured victories, while Erwin l'Ami suffered a defeat against Vaishali Rameshbabu. Vaishali, who had lost her previous three games, ended her tournament on a high note by upsetting the experienced Dutch grandmaster.

Since there is no blitz playoff in the Challengers, the tournament winner was decided based on tiebreak criteria. As the direct encounter between Nguyen and Suleymanli had ended in a draw, the Sonneborn-Berger system was used to determine the champion, with Nguyen claiming first place and earning a spot in next year's Masters.

It was an unfortunate outcome for Suleymanli, who had impressively finished the event with four consecutive wins. The 19-year-old Azerbaijani grandmaster showcased his resilience and fighting spirit throughout the tournament, and although he narrowly missed out on first place, he is undoubtedly a player to watch in the coming years.

In the final round, Nguyen defeated Benjamin Bok in a tense battle. Understanding that a win was necessary to stay in contention for the title, the Czech GM complicated matters in a sharp middlegame. Bok made a crucial mistake with 41.Bc5+, when 41.Be5 was necessary to provide better defensive chances against Black’s advancing b-pawn.

Bok v. Nguyen

In the final position, Bok resigned as there was no way to prevent the pawn from queening.

Nguyen, who is 23 years old, is a Czech grandmaster and the second highest-rated player in his country, behind only David Navara. Following this victory, Nguyen is now the 49th highest-rated player in the world, and he will have a chance to prove himself at the Masters next year against some of the world’s best players.

Aydin Suleymanli

Aydin Suleymanli | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Round 13 results

NameRtg.Nt.Pts.Pts.NameRtgNt.
2583
8
0-1
2668
2664
7
½-½
7
2624
2476
5
1-0
2614
2429
0-1
7
2659
2514
1-0
2447
2386
1
0-1
2623
2474
5
½-½
3
2490

Standings

Rk.NameRtg.Nt.Pts.n
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
TBPerf.
1
2668
9.5
13
55.75
2712
2
2623
9.5
13
55.00
2716
3
2614
8.5
13
49.00
2651
4
2659
8.0
13
44.25
2625
5
2583
8.0
13
43.00
2631
6
2624
7.5
13
43.25
2598
7
2664
7.5
13
43.00
2594
8
2514
7.5
13
41.25
2606
9
2476
6.0
13
35.50
2523
10
2429
5.5
13
33.25
2499
11
2474
5.5
13
30.75
2495
12
2490
3.5
13
19.00
2376
13
2447
3.5
13
12.75
2379
14
2386
1.0
13
5.75
2158
TBs: Sonneborn-Berger

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.e4 8 c5 34 2.Nf3 12 d6 20 3.d4 27 cxd4 48 4.Nxd4 12 Nf6 8 5.f3 22 e5 2:56 6.Nb3 1:08 Be7 6:46 7.c4 55 a5 16 8.Be3 11 B55: Sicilian: 2...d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 f3. 0-0 5:06 9.Be2 1:50 Nc6 9:57 10.0-0 6:53 White has an edge. Nh5 2:04 11.Qd2 23:11 Nf4 23:45 12.Bxf4N 21:12 12.a4 Ne6 13.Rd1 Bg5 14.Bxg5 Nxg5 15.Ra3 Qb6+ 16.Kh1 Ne6 17.Nc3 Ncd4 18.Nxd4 Qxd4 1-0 Solozhenkin,E (2454)-Hacker,J (2275) Pardubice Czech op-A 27th 2016 (4) 12...exf4 15 13.Nc3 1:29 Bf6 6:05 14.Rad1 8:29 Be6 20:09 15.Nb5 3:51 15.Qxf4? a4 16.Qe3 16.Rxd6? Qb8-+ 16...axb3 17.axb3 Ra1-+ 15.Qxd6 a4 16.Qxf4 Qb6+ 17.c5 Qb4-+ 15...Be5 3:49 16.N3d4 5:02 Nxd4 4:08 17.Nxd4 1 a4 4:43 18.Qb4 4:14 Qc7 26 19.Rd2 8:16 Qc5 8:11 20.Qxc5 20 dxc5 1 21.Nb5 28 g6 2:46 22.Rfd1 29 Ra6 56 23.Kf2 3:36 Kg7 10 24.Rg1 5:04 Kf6 2:28 25.g4 7:03 Raa8 3:12 26.h3 2:05 h5 1:08 27.Rc1 2:30 27.g5+ Ke7 28.h4 27...Rh8-+ 1:12 28.Bf1 1 Rad8 47 29.Rcd1 3:25 Ra8 21 Black is more active. 30.Rc1! 1 hxg4 30 31.fxg4 1:14 Kg5 44 32.Rcc2 1:15 Rad8 49 33.Kf3 41 Rd7 41 33...Kf6-+ 34.a3 Ra8 34.Nc3 44 Loses the game. 34.Rxd7 is a better defense. Bxd7 35.Rd2 34...Rxd2 21 35.Rxd2 1
35...a3 11       36.Nd1 59       36.Na4 Bxc4 36...axb2 25 37.Nxb2 1 Ra8 21 38.a4 34 Bd4 1:11 39.Be2 48 Ra6 30 40.Bd1 29 Rb6 39 41.Nd3 50:02 Bxc4 50:39
...Be3 is the strong threat. 42.Nxf4 0 Kh4 0 43.Nd5 0 Against Rf6+ Rb1 0 44.Kg2? 0 44.Ne3 Bb3 45.Rd3 Bxd1+ 46.Nxd1 44...Ra1 0 45.Nb6 0 Ba6 0 This pair of bishops is nice. 46.g5 0 Be3 0 47.Rd8 0 Bd4 0 ( -> ...Ra2+) Prevents Rh8+. Not 47...Bxg5 48.Rh8+ 48.Bg4 0 Ra2+ 0 Weighted Error Value: White=0.49/Black=0.12 (very precise) Mistake: White=3 Black=1 Inaccurate: White=8 Black=1 OK: White=12 Black=19 Best: White=1 --- Strong: White=1 ---
0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Deshmukh,D2490Yakubboev,N26590–12025B5587th Tata Steel Challengers 20251.1
Nguyen,T2668Pijpers,A24741–02025A4987th Tata Steel Challengers 20251.2
Suleymanli,A2623Bok,B2583½–½2025C5487th Tata Steel Challengers 20251.3
Gurel,E2624Bulmaga,I23861–02025D3787th Tata Steel Challengers 20251.4
L'Ami,E2614Svane,F2664½–½2025B9287th Tata Steel Challengers 20251.5
Oro,F2447Vaishali,R24760–12025D7887th Tata Steel Challengers 20251.6
Lu,M2429Nogerbek,K25141–02025C5687th Tata Steel Challengers 20251.7
Pijpers,A2474Suleymanli,A2623½–½2025C5887th Tata Steel Challengers 20252.1
Vaishali,R2476Lu,M2429½–½2025E0687th Tata Steel Challengers 20252.2
Svane,F2664Oro,F24471–02025D3587th Tata Steel Challengers 20252.3
Deshmukh,D2490Nguyen,T2668½–½2025B9287th Tata Steel Challengers 20252.4
Bok,B2583Gurel,E26241–02025B9087th Tata Steel Challengers 20252.5
Yakubboev,N2659Nogerbek,K2514½–½2025D3787th Tata Steel Challengers 20252.6
Bulmaga,I2386L'Ami,E26140–12025B5287th Tata Steel Challengers 20252.7
Gurel,E2624Pijpers,A24741–02025B7687th Tata Steel Challengers 20253.1
Nogerbek,K2514Vaishali,R24761–02025D3587th Tata Steel Challengers 20253.2
Nguyen,T2668Yakubboev,N26591–02025D4087th Tata Steel Challengers 20253.3
L'Ami,E2614Bok,B25831–02025D4387th Tata Steel Challengers 20253.4
Oro,F2447Bulmaga,I23861–02025D3587th Tata Steel Challengers 20253.5
Lu,M2429Svane,F26641–02025C0187th Tata Steel Challengers 20253.6
Suleymanli,A2623Deshmukh,D24901–02025D0287th Tata Steel Challengers 20253.7
Svane,F2664Nogerbek,K2514½–½2025C8887th Tata Steel Challengers 20254.1
Bulmaga,I2386Lu,M2429½–½2025C4587th Tata Steel Challengers 20254.2
Pijpers,A2474L'Ami,E2614½–½2025C4287th Tata Steel Challengers 20254.3
Nguyen,T2668Suleymanli,A2623½–½2025C7787th Tata Steel Challengers 20254.4
Bok,B2583Oro,F24471–02025C5487th Tata Steel Challengers 20254.5
Deshmukh,D2490Gurel,E26241–02025E3687th Tata Steel Challengers 20254.6
Yakubboev,N2659Vaishali,R24760–12025D5287th Tata Steel Challengers 20254.7
Suleymanli,A2623Yakubboev,N26590–12025B5187th Tata Steel Challengers 20255.1
Vaishali,R2476Svane,F2664½–½2025E1187th Tata Steel Challengers 20255.2
Oro,F2447Pijpers,A2474½–½2025D8587th Tata Steel Challengers 20255.3
Lu,M2429Bok,B25830–12025B6787th Tata Steel Challengers 20255.4
L'Ami,E2614Deshmukh,D24901–02025E0587th Tata Steel Challengers 20255.5
Gurel,E2624Nguyen,T2668½–½2025C9087th Tata Steel Challengers 20255.6
Nogerbek,K2514Bulmaga,I23861–02025E9787th Tata Steel Challengers 20255.7
Suleymanli,A2623Gurel,E26241–02025E5187th Tata Steel Challengers 20256.1
Bulmaga,I2386Vaishali,R2476½–½2025C1187th Tata Steel Challengers 20256.2
Bok,B2583Nogerbek,K2514½–½2025D3587th Tata Steel Challengers 20256.3
Nguyen,T2668L'Ami,E2614½–½2025B9087th Tata Steel Challengers 20256.4
Deshmukh,D2490Oro,F24470–12025A0587th Tata Steel Challengers 20256.5
Pijpers,A2474Lu,M2429½–½2025C6787th Tata Steel Challengers 20256.6
Yakubboev,N2659Svane,F2664½–½2025A4687th Tata Steel Challengers 20256.7
Svane,F2664Bulmaga,I23861–02025C5087th Tata Steel Challengers 20257.1
Lu,M2429Deshmukh,D24901–02025B3187th Tata Steel Challengers 20257.2
Oro,F2447Nguyen,T26680–12025B2387th Tata Steel Challengers 20257.3
L'Ami,E2614Suleymanli,A2623½–½2025C5087th Tata Steel Challengers 20257.4
Vaishali,R2476Bok,B2583½–½2025B2287th Tata Steel Challengers 20257.5
Gurel,E2624Yakubboev,N26591–02025C6587th Tata Steel Challengers 20257.6
Nogerbek,K2514Pijpers,A2474½–½2025B5187th Tata Steel Challengers 20257.7
Pijpers,A2474Vaishali,R2476½–½2025C6087th Tata Steel Challengers 20258.1
Gurel,E2624L'Ami,E2614½–½2025C6587th Tata Steel Challengers 20258.2
Bok,B2583Svane,F2664½–½2025E3287th Tata Steel Challengers 20258.3
Nguyen,T2668Lu,M24291–02025D7787th Tata Steel Challengers 20258.4
Suleymanli,A2623Oro,F24471–02025A4587th Tata Steel Challengers 20258.5
Deshmukh,D2490Nogerbek,K25140–12025A2287th Tata Steel Challengers 20258.6
Yakubboev,N2659Bulmaga,I23861–02025D0287th Tata Steel Challengers 20258.7
Svane,F2664Pijpers,A2474½–½2025B7787th Tata Steel Challengers 20259.1
L'Ami,E2614Yakubboev,N2659½–½2025B9087th Tata Steel Challengers 20259.2
Oro,F2447Gurel,E26240–12025E0487th Tata Steel Challengers 20259.3
Nogerbek,K2514Nguyen,T2668½–½2025B5087th Tata Steel Challengers 20259.4
Bulmaga,I2386Bok,B25830–12025B4887th Tata Steel Challengers 20259.5
Lu,M2429Suleymanli,A2623½–½2025C5687th Tata Steel Challengers 20259.6
Vaishali,R2476Deshmukh,D2490½–½2025C5087th Tata Steel Challengers 20259.7
Gurel,E2624Lu,M2429½–½2025C6587th Tata Steel Challengers 202510.1
Suleymanli,A2623Nogerbek,K25141–02025C5587th Tata Steel Challengers 202510.2
Yakubboev,N2659Bok,B2583½–½2025C5487th Tata Steel Challengers 202510.3
Nguyen,T2668Vaishali,R24761–02025A1387th Tata Steel Challengers 202510.4
L'Ami,E2614Oro,F24471–02025A1487th Tata Steel Challengers 202510.5
Deshmukh,D2490Svane,F26640–12025E6087th Tata Steel Challengers 202510.6
Pijpers,A2474Bulmaga,I23861–02025C6587th Tata Steel Challengers 202510.7
Bulmaga,I2386Deshmukh,D24900–12025C1187th Tata Steel Challengers 202511.1
Bok,B2583Pijpers,A2474½–½2025A3487th Tata Steel Challengers 202511.2
Lu,M2429L'Ami,E26140–12025C5487th Tata Steel Challengers 202511.3
Svane,F2664Nguyen,T26681–02025C5587th Tata Steel Challengers 202511.4
Oro,F2447Yakubboev,N26590–12025E5187th Tata Steel Challengers 202511.5
Vaishali,R2476Suleymanli,A26230–12025B7487th Tata Steel Challengers 202511.6
Nogerbek,K2514Gurel,E2624½–½2025D5087th Tata Steel Challengers 202511.7
Yakubboev,N2659Pijpers,A24741–02025D9487th Tata Steel Challengers 202512.1
Suleymanli,A2623Svane,F26641–02025D3587th Tata Steel Challengers 202512.2
Oro,F2447Lu,M24291–02025C7887th Tata Steel Challengers 202512.3
L'Ami,E2614Nogerbek,K2514½–½2025C4587th Tata Steel Challengers 202512.4
Deshmukh,D2490Bok,B25830–12025D5587th Tata Steel Challengers 202512.5
Nguyen,T2668Bulmaga,I23861–02025E7387th Tata Steel Challengers 202512.6
Gurel,E2624Vaishali,R24761–02025C1187th Tata Steel Challengers 202512.7
Pijpers,A2474Deshmukh,D2490½–½2025C1187th Tata Steel Challengers 202513.1
Svane,F2664Gurel,E2624½–½2025C4287th Tata Steel Challengers 202513.2
Vaishali,R2476L'Ami,E26141–02025B5287th Tata Steel Challengers 202513.3
Bok,B2583Nguyen,T26680–12025E3687th Tata Steel Challengers 202513.4
Nogerbek,K2514Oro,F24471–02025A1387th Tata Steel Challengers 202513.5
Bulmaga,I2386Suleymanli,A26230–12025B8587th Tata Steel Challengers 202513.6
Lu,M2429Yakubboev,N26590–12025B9087th Tata Steel Challengers 202513.7

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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