Praggnanandhaa Leads Tata Steel Chess After Round 3 Victory

Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa has taken sole possession of first place at the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Masters tournament in Wijk aan Zee. Praggnanandhaa defeated fellow Indian player Arjun Erigaisi in the third round on Monday to move to 2.5/3 points.

Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa outmaneuvered Erigaisi from the opening stages and went on to secure the full point. The win puts Praggnanandhaa half a point clear at the top of the standings.

In other key results, world champion D Gukesh drew his game against top seed Fabiano Caruana. Gukesh, playing white, opted for a cautious approach and the game ended in a draw by repetition after just 24 moves. Both players now have 2/3 points.

Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov joined Praggnanandhaa in the lead by defeating Dutch player Max Warmerdam with the black pieces. Defending champion Wei Yi was held to a draw by Germany’s Vincent Keymer.

After three rounds, Praggnanandhaa and Abdusattorov lead with 2.5 points, followed by Gukesh, Caruana and Keymer on 2 points. The 14-player tournament continues through January 28th.