R Praggnanandhaa described his Norway Chess triumph as the biggest achievement of his career, emphasising that defeating some of the world's strongest players - including the great Magnus Carlsen - made the title particularly memorable.
After the draw with Iranian turned French player Firouza, Gukesh has seven points for his sole second spot.
Young Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin emerged champion at the Tata Steel Chess India tournament on Friday, clinching the Rapid title just a day after the passing of his maternal grandfather, who had introduced him to the sport.
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa faces a tough challenge at the Candidates Tournament, where he will compete against top players for the chance to challenge for the World Championship title.
World Chess Champion D. Gukesh has decided to reduce his tournament schedule to focus on training and preparation for his upcoming title defence, following a series of disappointing performances.
With five points in his kitty from eight games, D Gukesh jointly leads the standings with Anish Giri of Holland.
World No 3 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan, current World Cup winner Levon Aronian and India number two Harikrishna shared the lead with two points apiece.
Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov has won the Candidates Chess Tournament, earning the right to challenge India's D Gukesh for the World Chess Championship title in 2026.
Anand played the Italian game with white pieces but could get little out of opening against Vituigov.
Tata Chess: Wesley So in sole lead, Erigaisi & Nihal not far behind in Blitz
Placed fourth after the first leg on Tuesday, the 48-year-old had a dream run on the final day to secure six wins and three draws in the nine rounds to draw level with the world No 3 American Nakamura to force a play-off.
World champion D Gukesh played out a draw with Jorden van Foreest of Holland, while Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa beat Alexey Sarana of Serbia as the two Indians shared the lead after a thrilling day at the Tata Steel Masters at Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands) on Saturday.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
World chess champion D Gukesh has decided to reduce his tournament schedule to focus on training and preparation for his upcoming title defence, following a series of disappointing performances.
Viswanathan Anand had to be content with a joint third place finish following a draw with compatriot Vidit Gujrathi in the 13th and final round of the Tata Steel Masters, in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherland.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin discusses fellow world champion D Gukesh's recent performance slump, attributing it to a lack of confidence rather than a decline in skill. Sarin expresses hope that the upcoming Chess Olympiad will help Gukesh regain his form. He also shares his views on the increasing role of AI in chess, the evolution towards faster formats, and potential improvements in the chess ecosystem.
World champion D Gukesh is 'crumbling under the weight of expectations' and needs to 'shut out the noise' to regain his form ahead of his title defence, said American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. Nakamura also revealed that the 2028 Chess Olympiad could potentially be his last tournament featuring 'true classical' chess.
On what turned out to be an easy day, Anand had to stretch himself only a little as Karjakin did not attempt any complicated warfare. The result was exchanging of pieces at regular intervals and the players signed peace in an opposite coloured Bishops endgame.
R Praggnanandhaa leads a fearless new generation at the Candidates 2026 as veterans face a shifting chess landscape ahead of a world title clash.
Reigning world champion D Gukesh is not ruffled by the barrage of criticism that has come his way in the past 18 months as the young Indian Grandmaster believes all of it is justified given his underwhelming form.
The other five games, hard fought, were drawn. World No.1 Magnus Carlsen and Andrey Esipenko trail the leaders by half a point.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
World Champion D Gukesh has taken the joint lead at the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament after defeating his fellow Indian, P Harikrishna.
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi won Tata Steel Chess Challengers 2018, at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, on Sunday. The victory ensured him qualification for the Tata Steel Masters 2019, where leading chess players from across the world, including World champion Magnus Carlsen, will take part.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa is set to compete against Alireza Firouzja of France in the opening round of the Super Chess Classic in Bucharest, marking his first classical event of the year as part of the Grand Chess Tour.
D Gukesh's prolonged form slump might be a talking point in the chess world right now but his World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov sees no obvious weakness in the Indian's game.
Five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand gave a fine endgame lesson to young Alireza Firouzja, jumping to joint sixth position at the end of 11th round of Tata Steel Masters, in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands, on Saturday. With his second victory, Anand clawed his way back to a fifty percent score and will now hope to end the tournament on a high. At just 16 years, Firouzja is less than one third of Anand's age, and the Indian ace showed that the Iranian still has a lot to learn.
Wesley So showed remarkable consistency to clinch the title in the Open category with a round to spare
Reigning world rapid champion Viswanathan Anand drew his sixth straight game of the tournament to stay undefeated and have a mid-table placing at number four with three points.
R Praggnanandhaa, the newly-crowned Tata Steel Chess champion, was given a warm reception upon his return to Chennai. The 19-year-old made history by defeating reigning World Champion D Gukesh in the final, marking the biggest win of his career. Fans, officials from the Tamil Nadu government, and the national federation gathered at the airport to welcome the young chess prodigy. Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the Tata Steel Chess title.
Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboe said he didn't respond to Indian GM R Vaishali's handshake gesture because of 'religious reasons'.
Reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway steered clear of the field with another dominating victory over Jan Krzysztof Duda Poland.
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi believes the government's recent decision to stop cash rewards for attaining GM and International Master titles is 'not ideal' for the parents of chess players.
D Gukesh ended his winless streak with a victory at the Prague International Chess Festival, while Aravindh Chithambaram finished joint second. Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan won the tournament.
World champion D Gukesh aims for a strong performance at the Prague International Chess festival after an early World Cup exit and underwhelming Tata Steel Masters showing.
World Champion D Gukesh believes concerns about cheating in chess are overblown and distances himself from Vladimir Kramnik's accusations. He also looks ahead to the Candidates Tournament.
Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa opens up on beating World Champ D Gukesh to win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands.
The 18-year-old also created history as he surpassed the legendary Viswanathan Anand to take the No 1 spot among Indian chess players in the live ratings.
Praggnanandhaa wins UzChess Cup Masters, becomes top-ranked Indian and World No.4
