Masters
In the 13th and final classical round, in a breathless final against Keymer, the World Champion’s runner-up, Praggnanandhaa failed to secure the draw that would have been enough to take the title, since Gukesh, who shared the lead with Pragg after 12 rounds, had, after just 31 shots, fallen under the forks of the caudines of an Erigaisi who had recovered all his savoir-faire from the day before.
Indeed, although the world No. 4 had already beaten Abdusattorov – another title contender – in the penultimate round, it should be noted that this success marked his very first triumph in this prestigious tournament, as he had until then accumulated setbacks with a record of 7 draws and 4 defeats, losing 30 Elo points. This under-performance was reminiscent of his previous appearance at Wijk aan Zee in 2023, where he finished last with 8 draws and 5 defeats.
Abdusattorov, demoralized after missing out on several opportunities to win against his most formidable rivals and suffering the revival of Erigaisi, settled for a draw in the final round. This performance secured him third place on the podium. However, the young Uzbek probably hadn’t anticipated that a win could have given him an unexpected tie-break, given the simultaneous defeats of the two Indian stars.
Thus, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa had to go head-to-head in a blitz to decide the winner of this 87th edition of the Tata Steel. The world champion, visibly recovered from his crushing defeat in the afternoon, took the lead in the first heat against a Pragg still reeling from his defeat by Keymer. But the young outsider showed exceptional resilience to win the second set brilliantly. The fate of the tournament was finally decided in the third blitz game, which saw Gukesh crack in the final moments, handing Praggnanandhaa the final victory in a tournament that will live long in the memory!
