#TATASteelChesse

[coachtortoise]

Today’s puzzle worthy position comes from the Round 9 of the 2024 Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee and it features a pretty tactical shot that players of all levels can appreciate:

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] The Chess Panel in Trailblazers 2.0 (Left)/D Gukesh at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament (@tatasteelchess) It was kind of obvious. When we as a team sat down to identify our focus sport for the Tata Steel Trailblazers Conclave 3.0, the answer was staring at us. Chess. There can be no debate that Indian chess took giant strides in 2024. In the words of Viswanathan Anand, “There is no doubt the sport is doing well and the future is looking great, but it will take some doing to match 2024.” Anand is right when he says this. From D Gukesh winning the candidates and Arjun Erigaisi crossing the 2800 Elo rating, to India winning the men’s and women’s golds in the Olympiad and Gukesh becoming world champion, it was the best year possible. And 2025 has started on an equally vibrant note, with R Praggnanandhaa winning the Tata Steel Chess and Gukesh coming a close second. The women’s game too has taken a significant stride forward. R Vaishali, Koneru Humpy, D Harika, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal and Tania Sachdev all had a good 2024. While the gold in the Olympiad stood out, Humpy’s world championship medal was another real highpoint. Away from the boards as well, chess has taken giant strides in the year gone by. Thanks to the efforts of Sagar Shah and his team at Chessbase India, there is now a constituency that consumes almost every match that is telecast. The Gukesh-Pragg tie-breaker was watched by over 50,000 people and the Gukesh’s World Championship clash with Ding Liren saw audiences of close to 150,000 daily. Chess influencers have become known names on social media, and Tania, for example, has also branched out into  commentary. Sagar is now a permanent fixture at events across the world and, in every sense, the sport has grown. To go back to Anand one more time. “We now have a generation of players,” he said. “Even Gukesh, having become world champion at the age of 18, has the best part of his career ahead of him. This entire generation of players – Gukesh, Arjun, Pragg – the sport is very strong at the moment, and I am pleased that, not just personally but also through the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, I have had a role to play in it. The youth of the country will continue to engage with the sport in the future is my hope, and that’s really very good news.” This is what we will celebrate at Tata Steel Trailblazers 3.0. It is rare that India dominates a sport which has a global footprint. Three Indians in the men’s top 10 is evidence of India’s growing strength. After the Soviet era, this is the first time a nation looks all set to dominate world chess. “For the longest time, it was Anand,” said Dibyendu Barua. “And he still has a major role to play in inspiring these players. Magnus Carlsen had said it three years earlier. He had mentioned that India will dominate world chess. Now it is proving to be true.” While celebrating the sport, we will also celebrate India’s first chess genius, Sultan Khan, who beat the best in the world between 1929 and 1933. In a chess career that lasted approximately five years, he won three British Chess Championship titles in 1929, 1932 and 1933. Thereafter, he came back to India and did not play competitive chess. Over the course of his career, he beat legends like José Raúl Capablanca, victories that were regularly reported by the Times of India.  Also Read: Arjun and Hari: Unsung heroes of Indian one-two at Tata Steel chess The post Tata Steel Trailblazers, and celebrating a quantum leap for Indian chess appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] The Chess Panel in Trailblazers 2.0 (Left)/D Gukesh at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament (@tatasteelchess) It was kind of obvious. When we as a team sat down to identify our focus sport for the Tata Steel Trailblazers Conclave 3.0, the answer was staring at us. Chess. There can be no debate that Indian chess took giant strides in 2024. In the words of Viswanathan Anand, “There is no doubt the sport is doing well and the future is looking great, but it will take some doing to match 2024.” Anand is right when he says this. From D Gukesh winning the candidates and Arjun Erigaisi crossing the 2800 Elo rating, to India winning the men’s and women’s golds in the Olympiad and Gukesh becoming world champion, it was the best year possible. And 2025 has started on an equally vibrant note, with R Praggnanandhaa winning the Tata Steel Chess and Gukesh coming a close second. The women’s game too has taken a significant stride forward. R Vaishali, Koneru Humpy, D Harika, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agarwal and Tania Sachdev all had a good 2024. While the gold in the Olympiad stood out, Humpy’s world championship medal was another real highpoint. Away from the boards as well, chess has taken giant strides in the year gone by. Thanks to the efforts of Sagar Shah and his team at Chessbase India, there is now a constituency that consumes almost every match that is telecast. The Gukesh-Pragg tie-breaker was watched by over 50,000 people and the Gukesh’s World Championship clash with Ding Liren saw audiences of close to 150,000 daily. Chess influencers have become known names on social media, and Tania, for example, has also branched out into  commentary. Sagar is now a permanent fixture at events across the world and, in every sense, the sport has grown. To go back to Anand one more time. “We now have a generation of players,” he said. “Even Gukesh, having become world champion at the age of 18, has the best part of his career ahead of him. This entire generation of players – Gukesh, Arjun, Pragg – the sport is very strong at the moment, and I am pleased that, not just personally but also through the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, I have had a role to play in it. The youth of the country will continue to engage with the sport in the future is my hope, and that’s really very good news.” This is what we will celebrate at Tata Steel Trailblazers 3.0. It is rare that India dominates a sport which has a global footprint. Three Indians in the men’s top 10 is evidence of India’s growing strength. After the Soviet era, this is the first time a nation looks all set to dominate world chess. “For the longest time, it was Anand,” said Dibyendu Barua. “And he still has a major role to play in inspiring these players. Magnus Carlsen had said it three years earlier. He had mentioned that India will dominate world chess. Now it is proving to be true.” While celebrating the sport, we will also celebrate India’s first chess genius, Sultan Khan, who beat the best in the world between 1929 and 1933. In a chess career that lasted approximately five years, he won three British Chess Championship titles in 1929, 1932 and 1933. Thereafter, he came back to India and did not play competitive chess. Over the course of his career, he beat legends like José Raúl Capablanca, victories that were regularly reported by the Times of India.  Also Read: Arjun and Hari: Unsung heroes of Indian one-two at Tata Steel chess The post Tata Steel Trailblazers, and celebrating a quantum leap for Indian chess appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[ivovanderbent]

Schaker Jorden van Foreest voor aanvang op het Tata Steel Chess toernooi. Hij eindigt uiteindelijk met 7 uit 13 op de vijfde plaats.

[korochinskaia]

Endless book illustration #03

[xadrezbrasil]

#tatasteelmasters2021 #TataSteelChess #rafaelleite #canalxadrezbrasilnoinsta #canalxadrezbrasil — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3aCpvle

[sumanchess]

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[coachtortoise]

My jaw dropped when I saw the swashbuckling first round skirmish between GM Max Warmerdam and GM GM Jergus Pechac!

#TataSteelChess #exciting #chessgame

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh at Tata Steel Masters (Image: @tatasteelchess) Shortly after midnight (IST), R Praggnanandhaa had a non-committal, neutral look on his face, probably not believing what he had just achieved. At the opposite end of the board, D Gukesh sank in his chair, head tilted skywards, with a blank stare. The Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee was all about India on a manic Sunday. The main protagonists were still to come to terms with it. In an eventful meet in the serene town in northern Netherlands featuring 14 players including five from the world’s top-10, Indians reigned supreme. Pragg claimed the title of his career and Gukesh came agonisingly close to following up his World Championship triumph with another in the very next outing. Both lost their final games and still made it to the tie-breaker for the top spot as joint-leaders after 13 rounds. It was the longest day of his life for the 18-year-old Pragg. He saw Gukesh lose against Arjun Erigaisi and soon found himself in trouble. Germany’s Vincent Keymer had a clear edge with white and the Indian could do little but defend. He did that for a long time and lost after nearly seven hours of struggle. Before the tie-breaker, which took place about 10 minutes after Pragg’s game, he was exhausted. Gukesh was fresher because his game had lasted just 22 moves. Recovering from his first defeat as world champion, Gukesh won the first blitz game with white. Playing for survival, Pragg came back with a win with white in the next one. This began the sudden-death, where the first winner would clinch the crown. Things happened at electric speed and Gukesh was soon seen ruing a blunder. It was Pragg’s day in the end by the thinnest of margins. On dramatic final day at #TataSteelChess, @rpraggnachess beats world champion D Gukesh in a tie-breaker to win the title. Pentala Harikrishna plays key role by holding nearest contender Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the last round @atreyom @tatasteelchess https://t.co/y5eQVViuKP — RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) February 2, 2025   On a cheeky note, Pragg thanked his good friend Arjun for keeping him in the hunt by beating Gukesh. “Should probably buy something for Arjun, yeah? I didn’t really expect it,” Pragg told the official channel on a lighter note. “At some point, I felt Gukesh was better. When I saw the result, I had already misplayed it. I was in such a difficult position that I could not really do much other than sit and defend,” said the player, who was overshadowed by Gukesh and Arjun in 2024. Pragg began the event, also called the ‘Wimbledon of chess’, with a draw against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who was close on the heels of the Indians until the end. He did well to remain unbeaten until the ninth round. After that defeat against Anish Giri of the Netherlands, he bounced back with three straight wins, including one against World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana of USA. “When I came here, I wanted to win the event. But the field was very strong. I didn’t really think about it much until yesterday. Can’t really express… I’m really happy,” said the World No. 14 in the January rankings. He is certain to be back in the top 10 after this. “Last year, I wasn’t going my way, and I was quite motivated for this tournament. The fans were always there for me. Huge thanks to all the fans,” said the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win this event.   Other than being Pragg’s biggest competition win, this edition of the prestigious Tata Steel event will also be remembered for the domination shown by the Indians. After a stupendous 2024, they were carrying the pressure of expectations. There was a reputation to protect. By claiming the top two spots in the year’s first elite meet, the Indians have shown that last year was no flash in the pan. A 19-year-old winning this crown and an 18-year-old finishing second is a testament of strength of the powerful pool India possesses. These things don’t happen every now and then.

Add to this the 21-year-old Arjun, who finished a disappointing outing with wins in his last two games against the best players and impacted the outcome. It also gives an idea of what the chess world is coming to terms with. Pragg wins the tiebreak and is our new Tata Steel Masters Champ!! pic.twitter.com/o8FtpcB9fD — Tata Steel Chess Tournament (@tatasteelchess) February 2, 2025   The post Praggnanandhaa defies odds to come of age at Tata Steel chess appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh at Tata Steel Masters (Image: @tatasteelchess) Shortly after midnight (IST), R Praggnanandhaa had a non-committal, neutral look on his face, probably not believing what he had just achieved. At the opposite end of the board, D Gukesh sank in his chair, head tilted skywards, with a blank stare. The Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee was all about India on a manic Sunday. The main protagonists were still to come to terms with it. In an eventful meet in the serene town in northern Netherlands featuring 14 players including five from the world’s top-10, Indians reigned supreme. Pragg claimed the title of his career and Gukesh came agonisingly close to following up his World Championship triumph with another in the very next outing. Both lost their final games and still made it to the tie-breaker for the top spot as joint-leaders after 13 rounds. It was the longest day of his life for the 18-year-old Pragg. He saw Gukesh lose against Arjun Erigaisi and soon found himself in trouble. Germany’s Vincent Keymer had a clear edge with white and the Indian could do little but defend. He did that for a long time and lost after nearly seven hours of struggle. Before the tie-breaker, which took place about 10 minutes after Pragg’s game, he was exhausted. Gukesh was fresher because his game had lasted just 22 moves. Recovering from his first defeat as world champion, Gukesh won the first blitz game with white. Playing for survival, Pragg came back with a win with white in the next one. This began the sudden-death, where the first winner would clinch the crown. Things happened at electric speed and Gukesh was soon seen ruing a blunder. It was Pragg’s day in the end by the thinnest of margins. On dramatic final day at #TataSteelChess, @rpraggnachess beats world champion D Gukesh in a tie-breaker to win the title. Pentala Harikrishna plays key role by holding nearest contender Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the last round @atreyom @tatasteelchess https://t.co/y5eQVViuKP — RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) February 2, 2025   On a cheeky note, Pragg thanked his good friend Arjun for keeping him in the hunt by beating Gukesh. “Should probably buy something for Arjun, yeah? I didn’t really expect it,” Pragg told the official channel on a lighter note. “At some point, I felt Gukesh was better. When I saw the result, I had already misplayed it. I was in such a difficult position that I could not really do much other than sit and defend,” said the player, who was overshadowed by Gukesh and Arjun in 2024. Pragg began the event, also called the ‘Wimbledon of chess’, with a draw against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who was close on the heels of the Indians until the end. He did well to remain unbeaten until the ninth round. After that defeat against Anish Giri of the Netherlands, he bounced back with three straight wins, including one against World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana of USA. “When I came here, I wanted to win the event. But the field was very strong. I didn’t really think about it much until yesterday. Can’t really express… I’m really happy,” said the World No. 14 in the January rankings. He is certain to be back in the top 10 after this. “Last year, I wasn’t going my way, and I was quite motivated for this tournament. The fans were always there for me. Huge thanks to all the fans,” said the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win this event.   Other than being Pragg’s biggest competition win, this edition of the prestigious Tata Steel event will also be remembered for the domination shown by the Indians. After a stupendous 2024, they were carrying the pressure of expectations. There was a reputation to protect. By claiming the top two spots in the year’s first elite meet, the Indians have shown that last year was no flash in the pan. A 19-year-old winning this crown and an 18-year-old finishing second is a testament of strength of the powerful pool India possesses. These things don’t happen every now and then.

Add to this the 21-year-old Arjun, who finished a disappointing outing with wins in his last two games against the best players and impacted the outcome. It also gives an idea of what the chess world is coming to terms with. Pragg wins the tiebreak and is our new Tata Steel Masters Champ!! pic.twitter.com/o8FtpcB9fD — Tata Steel Chess Tournament (@tatasteelchess) February 2, 2025   The post Praggnanandhaa defies odds to come of age at Tata Steel chess appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

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[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] Praggnanandhaa at the Tata Steel Chess (PC: Tata Steel Chess/X) R Praggnanandhaa had got overshadowed by the exploits of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi in 2024. On an epic final day at the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, he showed what he is made of by beating Gukesh in tie-breaker to win the first elite event of 2025. It was an eventful and dramatic final round in the quaint town on the northern coast of the Netherlands. Gukesh and Pragg were the joint-leaders and a full point ahead of Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Only if both the Indians lost did the World No. 6 from Uzbekistan stand a chance. Gukesh and Pragg suffered defeats, but Abdusattorov could not score the win he had to against India’s Pentala Harikrishna. After that draw and the setbacks for the Indians, it went to tie-breaker. In the blitz format employed in the tie-breaker, Gukesh won the first game with white. Pragg drew level with white in the next one. In the third game, Pragg clinched the battle between the two Chennai players, following a late error on the part of the recently-crowned world champion. It was a massive moment for Indian chess, considering that two from the country finished in the top two positions in the prestigious event featuring five players from the top 10 in the world. For the Latest Sports News: Click Here BREAKING: Praggnanandhaa R wins the 2025 Tata Steel Masters! A stunning performance in Wijk aan Zee crowns him champion! Congratulations, Pragg!! pic.twitter.com/Xt2Lnw6doq — Tata Steel Chess Tournament (@tatasteelchess) February 2, 2025 Earlier, Gukesh experienced his first defeat after winning the world crown, when he went down to Arjun Erigaisi despite having the white pieces. Arjun was winless after 11 rounds, but had scored a crucial win against Abdusattorov in the 12th. If that handed Gukesh and Pragg an advantage going into the final round, Arjun dented Gukesh’s chances by winning in just 22 moves. The game between Abdusattorov and Harikrishna became vital after that. Had the Uzbek won, he could have forced a three-way tie-breaker. However, one of Gukesh’s seconds in the World Championship campaign, Harikrishna, had other plans. He held Abdusattorov with black pieces, which ensured that he could not catch up with the duo of Gukesh and Pragg. Germany’s Vincent Keymer, another from Gukesh’s team of seconds, made it tougher for Pragg. The 19-year-old was in a slightly inferior position with the black pieces, but had managed to reach a stage where a draw looked likely. Keymer kept pressing and Pragg missed a trick towards the end which meant that he too lost. The tie-breaker could have been mentally crushing for Pragg after the marathon game which lasted over six hours. His defeat in the first blitz game suggested that he was running out of steam. But he summoned that extra ounce of energy and inspiration to stage a comeback and then put it across his friend and schoolmate to register a historic win. Also Read: Arjun opens the door for Gukesh and Pragg to win Tata Steel chess The post Pragg pips Gukesh in tie-breaker to win Tata Steel chess appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] Praggnanandhaa at the Tata Steel Chess (PC: Tata Steel Chess/X) R Praggnanandhaa had got overshadowed by the exploits of D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi in 2024. On an epic final day at the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, he showed what he is made of by beating Gukesh in tie-breaker to win the first elite event of 2025. It was an eventful and dramatic final round in the quaint town on the northern coast of the Netherlands. Gukesh and Pragg were the joint-leaders and a full point ahead of Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Only if both the Indians lost did the World No. 6 from Uzbekistan stand a chance. Gukesh and Pragg suffered defeats, but Abdusattorov could not score the win he had to against India’s Pentala Harikrishna. After that draw and the setbacks for the Indians, it went to tie-breaker. In the blitz format employed in the tie-breaker, Gukesh won the first game with white. Pragg drew level with white in the next one. In the third game, Pragg clinched the battle between the two Chennai players, following a late error on the part of the recently-crowned world champion. It was a massive moment for Indian chess, considering that two from the country finished in the top two positions in the prestigious event featuring five players from the top 10 in the world. For the Latest Sports News: Click Here BREAKING: Praggnanandhaa R wins the 2025 Tata Steel Masters! A stunning performance in Wijk aan Zee crowns him champion! Congratulations, Pragg!! pic.twitter.com/Xt2Lnw6doq — Tata Steel Chess Tournament (@tatasteelchess) February 2, 2025 Earlier, Gukesh experienced his first defeat after winning the world crown, when he went down to Arjun Erigaisi despite having the white pieces. Arjun was winless after 11 rounds, but had scored a crucial win against Abdusattorov in the 12th. If that handed Gukesh and Pragg an advantage going into the final round, Arjun dented Gukesh’s chances by winning in just 22 moves. The game between Abdusattorov and Harikrishna became vital after that. Had the Uzbek won, he could have forced a three-way tie-breaker. However, one of Gukesh’s seconds in the World Championship campaign, Harikrishna, had other plans. He held Abdusattorov with black pieces, which ensured that he could not catch up with the duo of Gukesh and Pragg. Germany’s Vincent Keymer, another from Gukesh’s team of seconds, made it tougher for Pragg. The 19-year-old was in a slightly inferior position with the black pieces, but had managed to reach a stage where a draw looked likely. Keymer kept pressing and Pragg missed a trick towards the end which meant that he too lost. The tie-breaker could have been mentally crushing for Pragg after the marathon game which lasted over six hours. His defeat in the first blitz game suggested that he was running out of steam. But he summoned that extra ounce of energy and inspiration to stage a comeback and then put it across his friend and schoolmate to register a historic win. Also Read: Arjun opens the door for Gukesh and Pragg to win Tata Steel chess The post Pragg pips Gukesh in tie-breaker to win Tata Steel chess appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] R Praggnanandhaa. Photo Credit: Tata Steel Chess Tournament. This is going to be a big year for R Praggnanandhaa, and he has made a good start. Overshadowed by D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi for most parts of 2024, he is sharing the lead after Round 5 of the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands. Eight more rounds remain in the event featuring five of the world’s top 10 players, sans No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Pragg, the 19-year-old ranked 13th in the January Fide rating list, can expect a re-entry into the top 10 next month if he continues to play the way he has in this competition so far. The Chennai boy has beaten fellow Indians Arjun, Pentala Harikrishna and Luke Leon Mendonca and drawn with the higher-rated, and joint-leader, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, other than sharing a point with Max Warmerdam of the host country. Mercurial last year when he beat Carlsen, helped India win the Chess Olympiad and also had some indifferent outings, Pragg had risen to No. 7 in the world rankings. “My game is improving, and that’s what matters,” Pragg was quoted as saying by Sportstar last year. “I performed well at Norway Chess, finishing third. There have been some lows in between, but I just need to focus on becoming more consistent.” To stay consistent will be his challenge in the remainder of the Tata Steel event. When the action resumes on Friday after a rest day (6.50 pm IST), Pragg will face defending champion and World No. 9 Wei Yi. The Chinese hasn’t had the best of starts and is placed seventh with 2.5 points. Pragg also has games remaining against No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, world champion Gukesh, other than formidable opponents like Anish Giri and Vincent Keymer. Photo Credit: @tatasteelchess Gukesh steady after World Championship high Gukesh has done well in his first competition after winning the World Championship in December. He began with a fortuitous win against Giri of the Netherlands, played three straight draws including one against Caruana, before beating Keymer in the fifth round. The German was a part of his team of seconds in the World Championship campaign. With 3.5 points, the 18-year-old is joint-third with Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia. This is a significant outing for Gukesh because the pressure of expectations on him has increased after becoming the youngest-ever world champion. His preparations for this event were disrupted due to felicitation functions and award presentations. Gukesh has been steady despite all that so far. Photo Credit: @tatasteelchess Arjun having horror run, Harikrishna well placed One of the wave-makers in world chess last year, Arjun has begun 2025 in the worst possible manner. Having risen to No. 4 in the rankings and become the 15th player in history cross the 2800 mark in Elo ratings, he is winless in Wijk Aan Zee and placed at the bottom of the 14-player field with Mendonca. Both are on one point. Arjun’s rating is certain to fall below 2800 after three defeats and two draws. He had some poor games and let opportunities slip in some others. However, after the rest day, there is every possibility of him coming back stronger and salvaging something from the last eight rounds. There is no doubt that he has the capability to do that. The veteran in the Indian quintet, Harikrishna is having a decent outing. He is fifth with three points following two wins and draws apiece after the opening-round defeat against Pragg. The 38-year-old is not always in headlines amid the surge from the youth brigade, but he remains a top player ranked 36th in the world. Part of the Olympiad team and Gukesh’s team of seconds, he can upset equations. Also Read: Pragg shares lead, Gukesh just behind after Round 3 of Tata Steel chess The post Consistency test for joint-leader Praggnanandhaa in Tata Steel chess appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

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[ad_1] R Praggnanandhaa. Photo Credit: Tata Steel Chess Tournament. This is going to be a big year for R Praggnanandhaa, and he has made a good start. Overshadowed by D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi for most parts of 2024, he is sharing the lead after Round 5 of the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands. Eight more rounds remain in the event featuring five of the world’s top 10 players, sans No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. Pragg, the 19-year-old ranked 13th in the January Fide rating list, can expect a re-entry into the top 10 next month if he continues to play the way he has in this competition so far. The Chennai boy has beaten fellow Indians Arjun, Pentala Harikrishna and Luke Leon Mendonca and drawn with the higher-rated, and joint-leader, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, other than sharing a point with Max Warmerdam of the host country. Mercurial last year when he beat Carlsen, helped India win the Chess Olympiad and also had some indifferent outings, Pragg had risen to No. 7 in the world rankings. “My game is improving, and that’s what matters,” Pragg was quoted as saying by Sportstar last year. “I performed well at Norway Chess, finishing third. There have been some lows in between, but I just need to focus on becoming more consistent.” To stay consistent will be his challenge in the remainder of the Tata Steel event. When the action resumes on Friday after a rest day (6.50 pm IST), Pragg will face defending champion and World No. 9 Wei Yi. The Chinese hasn’t had the best of starts and is placed seventh with 2.5 points. Pragg also has games remaining against No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, world champion Gukesh, other than formidable opponents like Anish Giri and Vincent Keymer. Photo Credit: @tatasteelchess Gukesh steady after World Championship high Gukesh has done well in his first competition after winning the World Championship in December. He began with a fortuitous win against Giri of the Netherlands, played three straight draws including one against Caruana, before beating Keymer in the fifth round. The German was a part of his team of seconds in the World Championship campaign. With 3.5 points, the 18-year-old is joint-third with Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia. This is a significant outing for Gukesh because the pressure of expectations on him has increased after becoming the youngest-ever world champion. His preparations for this event were disrupted due to felicitation functions and award presentations. Gukesh has been steady despite all that so far. Photo Credit: @tatasteelchess Arjun having horror run, Harikrishna well placed One of the wave-makers in world chess last year, Arjun has begun 2025 in the worst possible manner. Having risen to No. 4 in the rankings and become the 15th player in history cross the 2800 mark in Elo ratings, he is winless in Wijk Aan Zee and placed at the bottom of the 14-player field with Mendonca. Both are on one point. Arjun’s rating is certain to fall below 2800 after three defeats and two draws. He had some poor games and let opportunities slip in some others. However, after the rest day, there is every possibility of him coming back stronger and salvaging something from the last eight rounds. There is no doubt that he has the capability to do that. The veteran in the Indian quintet, Harikrishna is having a decent outing. He is fifth with three points following two wins and draws apiece after the opening-round defeat against Pragg. The 38-year-old is not always in headlines amid the surge from the youth brigade, but he remains a top player ranked 36th in the world. Part of the Olympiad team and Gukesh’s team of seconds, he can upset equations. Also Read: Pragg shares lead, Gukesh just behind after Round 3 of Tata Steel chess The post Consistency test for joint-leader Praggnanandhaa in Tata Steel chess appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link