Gukesh Escapes Defeat to Remain in Title Hunt at Tata Steel Chess
Indian chess grandmaster D. Gukesh managed to maintain his undefeated record in Round 6 of the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Masters tournament in Wijk aan Zee. In a challenging match against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Gukesh found himself in a difficult position mid-game but showcased exceptional defensive skills to secure a crucial draw.
This result keeps Gukesh within striking distance of the tournament leaders. Abdusattorov remains half a point ahead of Gukesh, tied for the lead with R. Praggnanandhaa. The latter was held to a draw by China’s Wei Yi in a round that saw minimal decisive outcomes.
Out of seven matches in Round 6, six ended in draws. The sole victory went to Russia’s Alexey Sarana, who impressively defeated Vladimir Fedoseev, ending the latter’s strong run in the tournament.
India’s Arjun Erigaisi is still seeking his first win, having dropped to last place with 1.5 points. This poor performance has cost him his status as India’s top-ranked player, now surpassed by Gukesh in live rankings.
Other Indian players, Pentala Harikrishna and Leon Luke Mendonca, also drew their matches against Dutch opponents Jordan van Foreest and Max Warmerdam respectively.
Round 7 of the tournament is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM IST on Saturday.
Standings after Round 6:
- R. Praggnanandhaa: 4.5 points
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov: 4.5 points
- D. Gukesh: 4 points
- Vladimir Fedoseev: 3.5 points
- Pentala Harikrishna: 3.5 points
- Alexey Sarana: 3.5 points
- Fabiano Caruana: 3 points
- Vincent Keymer: 3 points
- Wei Yi: 3 points
- Anish Giri: 2.5 points
- Jordan van Foreest: 2 points
- Max Warmerdam: 2 points
- Leon Luke Mendonca: 1.5 points
- Arjun Erigaisi: 1.5 points
Marcus Bellamy