The Indian contingent was expected to do well at the Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee. The players have done that so far. After 11 rounds, D Gukesh is the sole leader with eight points. Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and R Praggnanandhaa are breathing down his neck just half-a-point behind. With two rounds to go, it’s a three-way race featuring two Indians.
In the year’s first major tournament — five of the 14 participants are from the world’s top 10 — Arjun Erigaisi has been the biggest headline for India for the wrong reasons. World No. 4 when the event began, he is one of the two players without a win. Arjun has 3.5 points from seven draws and four defeats. Max Warmerdam, the World No. 82 who beat him, is at the bottom with the Indian.
However, it has been a case of ‘if Gukesh doesn’t get you, Arjun will. If Arjun doesn’t, then Pragg will.’ Living up to the great expectations caused by the upheaval they made last year, this Indian youth brigade has shown that this is not about individuals. There are a number of them eager and able to do well at the elite level. So far in the quaint Dutch town, they have done that.
Not a lot of people expected Gukesh to be at his sharpest, so soon after a physically and emotionally draining World Championship campaign. He hardly had time to prepare before landing in Wijk Aan Zee. Showing nerves of steel, the 18-year-old world champion has lived up to reputation. He fought tough situations to eke out draws and made the most of opportunities to nail wins.
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Playing against the host nation’s Jorden van Foreest — who is rated almost 100 points below him — in the 12th round and the out-of-form Arjun in the last round means Gukesh has a strong chance of winning the title. Nodirbek faces Arjun and Pentala Harikrishna, who has 5.5 points from three wins, five draws and three defeats. Harikrishna can be the party-spoiler.
Pragg has bounced back from the defeat against Anish Giri in the ninth round. He has given a good account of himself in the year-opener after an up-and-down 2024. He took Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia out of the championship equation by beating him in the 10th round. The 19-year-old then jumped into the title race by beating World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana in the 11th.
Pragg faces formidable opponents — Alexey Sarana of Serbia and Vincent Keymer of Germany — in the last two rounds. However, neither of them have made a mark in the competition so far. Sarana is ninth with five points and Keymer 10th with 4.5. Both are rated below the Indian, who in turn is ranked 14th in the world. Pragg will fancy his chances in a potentially nail-biting finish.
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