Gukesh Overcomes Keymer in a Tight Battle, Pragg Remains Unbeaten at Tata Steel Chess

There were tense moments in the middle game as both Gukesh and Vincent Keymer found themselves critically low on time, with Keymer making several moves with only seconds left on his clock. Interestingly, Keymer is one of two seconds from Team Gukesh competing at the Tata Steel event this year. In Round 7 on Saturday, Gukesh will face his other second from the World Championship, Pentala Harikrishna. Both Keymer and Harikrishna played a crucial role in Gukesh’s historic triumph over Ding Liren last month, making him the youngest world champion in history.

When asked earlier in the tournament if facing his seconds would make for “special games,” the 18-year-old Gukesh responded:

“Once I get to the board, in general, I don’t really care about the opponent—whether it’s a good friend or anyone. It will be business as usual. We have developed a close bond over the year. I’m glad they’re playing in this tournament.”

Praggnanandhaa Stays Unbeaten

Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa continued his unbeaten run at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, heading into the first rest day after a 40-move draw against Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam in Round 5.

After five rounds in what is often called the Wimbledon of Chess, Pragg is second in the standings, having been overtaken by Nodirbek Abdusattorov on Wednesday. The tournament has marked a strong resurgence for Pragg after a relatively quiet 2024. He has already defeated three of his Indian compatriots—Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna, and Leon Luke Mendonca—while holding Abdusattorov to a draw.

On Wednesday, playing with the black pieces, Pragg’s game against Warmerdam remained balanced throughout, ultimately ending in a draw.

A Day of Draws for Indian Players

It was also a day of stalemates for Indian players in the Masters section, with all other games involving them ending in draws. In an all-Indian clash, India’s top-rated grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi was held to a draw by India No. 11, Leon Luke Mendonca.

Both players have struggled at Tata Steel this year, remaining winless with three losses and two draws each. At the end of the fifth round, they find themselves at the bottom of the Masters standings with just one point apiece.