Tata Steel Chess 2025 Highlights: R Praggnanandhaa beats D Gukesh in sudden death to clinch maiden Masters title

Praggnanandhaa, playing with the black pieces, forces the Caro-Kann Defense, creating a solid and resilient structure. In this classical opening, Black aims for a strong, flexible pawn structure while avoiding early weaknesses. Praggnanandhaa's decision to force the Caro-Kann is a strategic one, as it allows him to counteract the German Grandmaster's aggressive play, positioning for a long-term advantage with well-calculated manoeuvres.

If Nodirbek Abdusattorov wins his game against Pentala Harikrishna, and both Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa lose their matches, the tournament will end in a tie. This would set the stage for a dramatic tie-break.

• Gukesh D vs Arjun Erigaisi
• Anish Giri vs Jorden van Foreest
• Vladimir Fedoseev vs Wei Yi
• Fabiano Caruana vs Max Warmerdam
• Alexey Sarana vs Leon Luke Mendonca
• Vincent Keymer vs Praggnanandhaa R
• Nodirbek Abdusattorov vs Pentala Harikrishna

In Round 12 of the Tata Steel Chess Masters 2025, R Praggnanandhaa delivered a commanding victory over Alexey Sarana, securing his sixth win of the tournament. Playing with White, Pragg opted for an Indian Game that transitioned into a Queen’s Gambit Declined. Sarana initially showed aggression, capturing a few of Pragg’s pieces, but the Indian GM dictated the pace with precise play.

The turning point came when Sarana miscalculated with Nb5 on move 21, allowing Pragg to strike back with Nxa6+ on move 22, seizing control. From there, Sarana struggled to recover, and Praggnanandhaa delivered the final blow with Qb7+ on move 29, forcing his opponent to resign before reaching 30 moves.

In Round 12 of the Tata Steel Chess Masters 2025, Gukesh Dommaraju missed a golden opportunity to secure a crucial win, settling for a hard-fought draw against Jorden van Foreest. Playing with Black, Gukesh defended against a Queen’s Gambit Declined setup. Early inaccuracies put him under pressure, but he recovered well, gaining a winning position with sharp queen play. However, a misstep on move 47 (Rf7) allowed Van Foreest to escape, and after a prolonged battle, the game ended in a draw. Despite the missed chance, Gukesh remains joint leader alongside Praggnanandhaa, setting up a thrilling final round in Wijk aan Zee.