NEW DELHI: The newest World Chess Champion D Gukesh got off to an exceptional start at Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 by outmanoeuvring home favourite and one-time champion of the tournament, Anish Giri, in a closely-contested match, where Anish had an early advantage despite playing with the black pieces.
Despite arriving in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, just hours before the tournament opener after spending his last two days in India—where he received a grand felicitation, including a Rs 1 crore prize money from AICF (All India Chess Federation), on Thursday and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award from the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, on Friday—Gukesh never looked as though he had returned to the board after a one-month break since beating Ding Liren in Singapore and becoming one of the youngest-ever World Chess Champions at the age of 18.
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Anish, with his witty moves and home advantage, started strong, gaining an early lead with the black pieces in Round 1.
Nevertheless, a blunder followed when Anish played Qb6 on his 15th move, allowing Gukesh to bring his queen to f6. As Anish took the bait and captured Gukesh’s queen, the world champion didn’t waste time and captured Anish’s queen with a pawn.
As Anish made further moves, they only led to his ultimate demise, resulting in a handshake that just confirmed the resignation from the Dutch No. 1. The win gave Gukesh an opening lead in the Masters, showcasing true glimpses of a world champion.
While Gukesh didn’t disappoint in the opening round, it was a tough night for his compatriot Leon Luke Mendonca, who lost his way after an impressive start.
Playing against Vincent Keymer, Leon played Rc1 on his 31st move, giving the German a massive advantage that left the Indian devastated as he chose to admit defeat by resigning.
The Round 1 encounter between Pentala Harikrishna and Arjun Erigaisi was a marathon of 63 moves. However, a robust fight ended in the defeat of India No. 1, as Harikrishna made the most of his advantage with the white pieces.
On the other hand, R Praggnanandhaa salvaged a draw after struggling for balance for a long time against Nodirbek Abdusattorov. World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana also ended in a draw against China’s Wei Yi, who is defending his title this year in the ‘Wimbledon of Chess’.
In the Challengers section, Rameshbabu Vaishali, the bronze medalist in the World Blitz Championship, picked up a quick win in an eye-catching manner over 12-year-old Faustino Oro from Argentina. After a long fight, however, Divya Deshmukh conceded defeat to Nodirbek Yakubboev.
Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025: Round 1
- Masters standings: Gukesh (1), Keymer (1), Harikrishna (1), Caruana (0.5), Abdusattorov (0.5), Wei (0.5), Praggnanandhaa (0.5), Fedoseev (0.5), Van Foreest (0.5), Sarana (0.5), Warmerdam (0.5), Erigaisi (0), Giri (0), Mendonca (0)
- Challengers standings: Nguyen (1), Yakubboev (1), Gurel (1), Vaishali (1), Lu (1), Svane (0.5), Suleymanli (0.5), L’Ami (0.5), Bok (0.5), Nogerbek (0), Deshmukh (0), Pijpers (0), Oro (0), Bulmaga (0).
