Praggnanandhaa Emerges Victorious Over Gukesh in Tiebreaker to Grab Tata Steel Chess Title

India’s Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa won the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Masters 2025, topping reigning World Champion D. Gukesh after a thrilling tiebreaker in the Netherlands’ Wijk aan Zee.

A Thrilling Final Round

Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh had a tie for first place at 8.5 points going into the final round. Unfortunately, both were on the wrong end of reversals—Praggnanandhaa was defeated by Vincent Keymer of Germany and Gukesh was defeated by Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi. The result put both players into a rapid tiebreaker showdown for the champion.

Tiebreaker Showdown

Two fast games made up the tiebreaker. Gukesh won the first game; that put a heavy burden of pressure on Praggnanandhaa. He gallantly managed to claw back from the second game and tie the match. The match then went into an Armageddon decider. And Praggnanandhaa won that in dramatic fashion, winning the title.

Praggnanandhaa’s Memoir

Despite his victory, Praggnanandhaa felt a mix of emotions about his game, saying, “I wasn’t happy with my game.” He accepted that the opponents were tough and insisted that he had to be very resilient at this point.

A Historic Win for Indian Chess

This win further solidifies the emergence of young Indian chess prodigies on the global stage. Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh, at 18 years of age, have proven their skill and determination, marking a new era in Indian chess.
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