praggnanandhaa-moves-into-sole-lead-at-tata-steel-masters

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa surged into sole leadership after the fourth round of the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament, defeating fellow Indian Leon Luke Mendonca.

 

Praggnanandhaa started with a closed Ruy Lopez but capitalised on middle-game opportunities as Mendonca struggled under the pressure.

 

Praggnanandhaa secured his third consecutive victory after 46 moves, moving ahead with a score of 2.5 points.

 

In a thrilling all-Indian battle at #TataSteelChess, R Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious over Leon Mendonca in Round 4, claiming the sole lead in the tournament with 3.5 points. Kudos to Pragg for a well-deserved win and to Leon for his unwavering determination!!@rpraggnachess… pic.twitter.com/pB5pKPdMGg

— Nitin Narang (@narangnitin) January 21, 2025

 

This marks the third Indian opponent Praggnanandhaa has defeated in a row, with his next challenge coming against reigning world champion D Gukesh.

 

In the fourth round, D Gukesh drew with Alexey Sarana, who now plays for Serbia instead of Russia. Sarana maintained composure throughout, holding off Gukesh's attempts to force the game.

 

Meanwhile, P Harikrishna made an impressive debut, defeating Max Warmerdam of Holland with a tactical display in a mere 23 moves. Arjun Erigaisi, however, faced a setback, losing to Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia after a string of tactical errors.

 

Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali also showcased remarkable performances, securing victories in their respective encounters against Ediz Gurel of Turkey and Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan.

 

Results - Round 4:

Masters:

• P Harikrishna (Ind, 2.5) beat Max Warmerdam (Ned, 1)
• Arjun Erigaisi lost to Vladimir Fedoseev (Slo, 2.5)
• Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2.5) drew with Anish Giri (Ned, 1.5)
• R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 2.5) beat Leon Luke Mendonca (Ind, 0.5)
• Wei Yi (Chn, 2) drew with Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb, 3)
• Vincent Keymer (Ger, 2.5) drew with Jorden van Foreest (Ned, 1.5)
• Alexey Sarana (Srb, 2) drew with D Gukesh (Ind, 2.5)

Challengers:

• Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 1.5) beat Ediz Gurel (Tur, 2)
• Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzb, 1.5) lost to R Vaishali (Ind, 2.5)
• Svane Frederik (Ger, 2) drew with Nogerbek Kazybek (Kaz, 2)
• Miaoyi Lu (Chn, 3) drew with Irina Bulmaga (Rom, 0.5)
• Nguyen Thai Dai Van (Cze, 3) drew with Aydin Suleymanli (Aze, 2)
• Arthur Pijpers (Ned, 1) drew with Erwin L’Ami (Ned, 3)
• Oro Faustino (Arg, 1) beat Benjamin Bok (Ned, 1.5).
  
  

🇮🇳 GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is the sole leader at the #TataSteelChess Masters event with 3.5/4!

There is a three-way tie for first place in the Challengers section at the moment. pic.twitter.com/3Kh07SWdjz

— Chess.com - India (@chesscom_in) January 21, 2025