Tata Steel Chess 2025: Praggnanandhaa Victorious on Day 2

The second day of the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Masters 2025 in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, saw R Praggnanandhaa claim his first victory of the tournament. The young Indian grandmaster outplayed his compatriot Pentala Harikrishna in a masterful endgame with the black pieces.

Praggnanandhaa’s win places him among five players, including world champion Dommaraju Gukesh, who have accumulated 1.5 points after two rounds. Harikrishna, who had previously defeated Arjun Erigaisi in the opening round, made an ambitious opening choice with white against Praggnanandhaa, initially causing concern for his opponent.

Praggnanandhaa later commented, “I was apprehensive about my position as he could potentially push his pawns, and without concrete counterplay, I risked being checkmated.” However, Harikrishna’s decision not to exchange rooks in the endgame proved crucial, allowing Praggnanandhaa to secure victory after 55 moves.

World champion Gukesh, fresh from his win against Anish Giri, engaged in a hard-fought battle with Slovenia’s Vladimir Fedoseev. Despite finding himself in a difficult position out of the opening, Gukesh demonstrated exceptional defensive skills to salvage a draw.

Arjun Erigaisi faced a similar scenario against Anish Giri, with the Dutch grandmaster managing to stabilize a precarious position and secure a draw. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Indian prodigy Leon Mendonca remains the only player without points after two rounds, following losses to Vincent Keymer and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

Key Results:

• Nodirbek Abdusattorov 1-0 Leon Luke Mendonca
• Pentala Harikrishna 0-1 R Praggnanandhaa
• Vladimir Fedoseev ½-½ Dommaraju Gukesh
• Arjun Erigaisi ½-½ Anish Giri

Current Standings:

Five players lead with 1.5 points: Fabiano Caruana, Dommaraju Gukesh, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, R Praggnanandhaa, and Vincent Keymer. The tournament continues to showcase high-level chess as the world’s top players compete for supremacy.