1/29/2025 – Gukesh Dommaraju has taken sole lead at the Tata Steel Masters after the ninth round, marking a strong performance in his first tournament as world champion. While former co-leaders Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Nodirbek Abdusattorov both dropped points, Gukesh secured a win against Leon Luke Mendonca. Meanwhile, Vladimir Fedoseev moved into shared second place with a victory over Pentala Harikrishna. In the Challengers, Thai Dai Van Nguyen continues to be the sole leader. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
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Gukesh leads, Fedoseev joins chasing pack
In his first tournament after winning the World Championship, Gukesh Dommaraju has taken the sole lead after the ninth round of the Tata Steel Masters tournament. While the other two former co-leaders, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, both dropped points - Abdusattorov drawing with black against Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa suffering a defeat against Anish Giri - the world champion secured a full point against Leon Luke Mendonca. Out of a Spanish Opening, Mendonca held his own with black for a long time, but shortly before the time control, Gukesh gained the upper hand.
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.
Leon Luke Mendonca v. Gukesh Dommaraju | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu was taken down by Anish Giri | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
Giri's victory against Praggnanandhaa was the result of a fine positional game out of a Catalan Opening. In the endgame, Giri converted a small but lasting advantage into a win.
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!
Vladimir Fedoseev is now sharing second place | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
The in-form Vladimir Fedoseev also secured another full point. He had opened with the London System, was gifted an exchange by Harikrishna, but had to keep his king in the centre. The white king survived, and Fedoseev was able to capitalise on his material advantage with attacking play.
The Dutch duel between Jorden van Foreest and his occasional second Max Warmerdam ended in a draw. The same result was seen in the game between Serbian GM Alexey Sarana and German star Vincent Keymer.
The game between Wei Yi and Arjun Erigaisi also ended drawn.
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.
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.
In the Challengers, Thai Dai Van Nguyen defended his lead with a draw against Kazybek Nogebek, as his closest pursuer, Erwin l'Ami, was also unable to secure more than half a point against Nodirbek Yakubboev.
Frederik Svane also drew against Arthur Pijpers. The game featured the Dragon Variation, where Pijpers, facing the 9.Bc4 line, managed to find a safe equalising path.
Further draws occurred in the games between Lu Miaoyi and Aydin Suleymanli, as well as Vaishali Rameshbabu against Divya Deshmuk.
Additionally, the ninth round of the Challengers saw two victories with the black pieces. Ediz Gürel defeated Faustino Oro, while Benjamin Bok overcame Irina Bulmaga.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
The Nimzo-Indian has stood the test of time for over a century: Still a top choice for elite players today, from Magnus Carlsen to Praggnanandhaa, it remains one of Black's most reliable ways to fight for real chances against 1.d4 2.c4 3.Nc3.
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4!? is an opening idea well worth considering. Black immediately threatens to double the pawns on c3 in the style of the Trompowski or Sicilian Grand Prix attack.
Italian Game Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains 8571 top class games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 479 are annotated.
Videos: Nico Zwirs discusses the Sicilian with 2…e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qe3 Nf6 6.Nc3. Mihail Marin examines Sindarov’s 6.Ne5 in the Queen’s Pawn Defence. Plus the ‘Lucky bag’ featuring 41 analyses by Berg, Ftacnik, Gupta and many others.
If you're looking for a dynamic alternative to the Slav, Queen's Gambit Declined, or other mainstream systems, the Chigorin Defence offers exactly what modern tournament players need.
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