.jpeg)
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
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
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.
Alexey Sarana facing Arjun Erigaisi | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
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.
Round 8 results
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.
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.
Round 8 results
