Pragg nips Gukesh in tournament debut as champ

It seems the only way to beat a superstar Indian teenage chess phenom these days is with another superstar Indian teenage chess phenom.

GM Dommaraju Gukesh’s nearly perfect debut after becoming the youngest world champion ever last month at the age of 18 was spoiled at the just-concluded 87th Tata Steel Masters Tournament when he lost a blitz playoff to 19-year-old compatriot Rameshbabu Praggnananadhaa. Both players lost their final-round games Sunday at the history-rich event in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands to finish tied at 8½-4½, a half-point clear of Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, in what is traditionally the first marquee event of the international chess calendar.

Praggnanadhaa lost twice at Tata but scored a critical win with Black against an out-of-form U.S. GM Fabiano Caruana, a pre-tournament favorite who managed just a 6-7 score, good for a tie for eighth in the 14-player field.

A tense battle emerges from this Queen’s Gambit Declined Exchange line, with both players using up a lot of time trying to hold the balance in a wide-open game. White may have overestimated his chances as he seems to go astray on 27. Rf5!? (safer was 27. Qf2, posing the question to Black whether he wants to trade queens) Rc8 28. Qd3 Ne6 29. Rdf1 Be8! — White’s attack is going nowhere for now, while Pragg still has his big guns lined up on the queenside.

As so often happens, one blunder by the defending player is enough to tip the balance: 31. Rc2 Nc5 32. Qe3? (the queen had to stay on the second rank with 32. Qe2, when 32…Nxb3? doesn’t work because of 33. Bxb3 Rxb3 34. Ne7+! Kh8 35. Nxc8, winning) Nxb3! 33. Rb1 (sadly for White, the rook on c2 is no longer sufficiently guarded and he is mated on 33. Bxb3 Rxc2+ 34. Bxc2 Rb2+ 35. Ka1 Ra2+! 36. Kxa2 Qb2 mate) Ba4!, and Caruana’s defense is collapsing.

The end is quick: 34. Bd3 (Qf2 Nd4 35. Ne7+ Rxe7 36. Rxb8 Rxb8 37. Qf4 Reb7 38. Rc3 Nc2 39. Rxc2 Bxc2 40. Bd5 Rb2+ 41. Kxa3 Rb1 42. Qxf7+ Kh8 43. Ka2 R1b4 and White must give up his queen just to stop immediate mate) Nc5 35. Ne7+ (Rxb7 Qxb7 36. Rf2 Qb3+ 37. Ka1 Nxd3) Kh8 36. Rxb7 Qxb7 37. Ba6 (Nxc8 Bxc2 38. Qc1 Qb3+ 39. Ka1 Nxd3 40. Nd6 Qc3+ 41 Ka2 Nxc1 mate) Qxe7, and White packed it in as he will just be a piece down after 38. Bxc8 Bxc2.

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After nearly losing his first game to Dutch GM Anish Giri, Gukesh looked every bit the worthy champion at Tata, at one point reaching plus-five before his late-tournament stumble.

The champ’s prowess was on display in his Round 10 game against local Dutch entrant GM Max Warmerdam, which we pick up from today’s diagram. Gukesh is already better with his pieces on good squares and the prospect of open attacking lines to White’s shaky king position.

That advantage becomes concrete on 28. Rc1? (tougher was 28. Nc5; White hopes to gain a tempo and would be in decent shape after 28…Qe8 29. Nc5 e5 30. Kg1 e4 31. Qe2) Nd4! (a nice zwischenzug — now on 29. Rxc8 Nxd2+ 30. Bxd2 Rxc8, White loses the exchange) 29. Qd1 Qb8!, applying tremendous pressure to the White kingside.

A dispirited Warmerdam goes down without a fight: 30. Kg1 Nxg3! 31. Nc5 (fxg3?? Qxg3+ 32. Kh1 Qxh3+ 33. Kg1 Qxe3+ is clearly out of the question) Nf5 32. Qg4 Qe8 33. Ndb3 Nc6 (loading up on the forlorn d-pawn) 34. Nf4 Bxd4, and White, two pawns down, resigns. It may be a little premature, but Black is in total command even after 35. Ncxe6 Nxe3 36. Qe2 g5 37. Qh5 gxf4 38. Qg5+ Qg6 39. Qxg6+ hxg6 40. Rxc6 Nf5 41. Nxf8 Kxf8 42. Rxg6 Kf7, with the two minor pieces ready to escort the passed d-pawn down the board.

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But with victory in his grasp in the final round, Gukesh lost his first classical game as the new champ to GM Arjun Erigaisi, a relative greybeard among the crop of rising Indian generation of GMs at the ripe old age of 21.

Gukesh admirably takes both players out of the opening books with the rare 4. Nc4 sideline to the Petroff, and the position after 9. Bg2 Qd7 10. 0-0 0-0-0, with the kings on opposite wings, promises an attacking, double-edged struggle.

But although White fires the first shot with the pawn offer, 11. b4, it is Black’s attack that develops faster, with Erigaisi trading off the strong White fianchettoed bishop (the computer engines say White should have considered the unexpected exchange sac 14. Bf3!? to keep the bishop on the board), blasting open the h-file and then using his major pieces to target the White king: 15. Qf3 h5! 16. Nexd5 (Qf5+ Qxf5 may have looked too drawish to the champ) h4! (sticking with the plan; it’s definitely a draw on 16…Nxd5 17. Nxd5 h4 18. Qxf7 Rd7 19. Qe8+) 17. Nxf6 gxf6.

Black’s down a pawn and his kingside is busted, but the open h-file trumps all: 18. Rd1?! (already trying to ease the pain with exchanges with 18. Qg2 would have posed a tougher defense) hxg3 19. hxg3 Nc4 20. Bf4 Bh6! (looking to trade White’s other bishop, a valuable defensive piece; bad now if 21. Ne2 Bxf4 [Bg5 is also strong] 22. Nxf4 Qh2+ 23. Kf1 Nd2+! 24. Rxd2 Qh1+ 25. Qxh1 Rxh1+ 26. Ke2 Rxa1, winning the exchange) Rxh6 22. Qg2 Qh5!, keeping the big pieces on the board and leaving White’s game already on life support.

Gukesh tries valiantly to change the subject, but Black on the attack is a dog with bone: 25. b6 cxb6 26. Ra4 Nb5! (taking advantage of the fact the White knight has to keep guarding the rook on d1) 27. Rd3 (Rc4+ Kb8 28. g4 Qh1+ 29. Qxh1 Rxh1+ 30. Kg2 R8h2+ 31. Kg3 Rh3+ 32. Kg2 Rxc3 and wins) Nxc3 28. Rxc3+ Kd8! (avoiding a last pitfall: 28…Kb8?! 29. g4! Qh1+ [Qg5?? 30. Qg3+ Ka8 31. Rxa7+! Kxa7 32. Ra4 Qa5 33. Rxa5+ and White is winning] 30. Qxh1+ Rxh1+ 31 Kg2 R8h2+ 32. Kg3 Rh3+ 33. Kg2 Rxc3 34. Kxh1 Rxc2, and the endgame still must be won) 29. f3 (Qxb7 gets in a mate threat but Black has 30… Qd1+ Kg2 Qh1 mate) Qb5!, threatening both the rook and a nasty back-rank check.

It’s over on 30. Rxa7 Rh1+! 31. Kf2 (on 31. Qxh1, Black throws in 31…Qb1+ first to score major material) R8h2, and White’s queen is pinned and lost; Gukesh resigned.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Caruana-Praggnanandhaa, 87th Tata Steel Masters 2025, Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, January 2025

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Nge2 Re8 9. h3 Nbd7 10. Qc2 Nf8 11. O-O-O b5 12. Kb1 a5 13. f3 Be7 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e4 a4 16. a3 b4 17. axb4 a3 18. b3 Qb6 19. Ka2 dxe4 20. fxe4 Bxd4 21. Nxd4 Qxd4 22. b5 Bd7 23. Bc4 Qa7 24. bxc6 Bxc6 25. Rhf1 Re7 26. Nd5 Rb7 27. Rf5 Rc8 28. Qd3 Ne6 29. Rdf1 Be8 30. R5f2 Qb8 31. Rc2 Nc5 32. Qe3 Nxb3 33. Rb1 Ba4 34. Bd3 Nc5 35. Ne7+ Kh8 36. Rxb7 Qxb7 37. Ba6 Qxe7 White resigns.

Gukesh-Erigaisi, 87th Tata Steel Masters 2025, Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, February 2025

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nc4 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. Ne3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Be6 8. g3 Nc6 9. Bg2 Qd7 10. O-O O-O-O 11. b4 d5 12. b5 Na5 13. d4 Bh3 14. Bxh3 Qxh3 15. Qf3 h5 16. Nexd5 h4 17. Nxf6 gxf6 18. Rd1 hxg3 19. hxg3 Nc4 20. Bf4 Bh6 21. Bxh6 Rxh6 22. Qg2 Qh5 23. Rab1 Rdh8 24. Rb4 Na3 25. b6 cxb6 26. Ra4 Nb5 27. Rd3 Nxc3 28. Rxc3+ Kd8 29. f3 Qb5 30. Rxa7 Rh1+ 31. Kf2 R8h2 White resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.