NEW DELHI: After a rest day on Thursday, the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 resumed full throttle on Friday. A dramatic Round 6 unfolded, with Indian chess prodigies making their presence felt in both Masters and Challengers sections amid the chilly weather of Wijk aan Zee.
Struggling with three early losses in the tournament, Arjun Erigaisi opted for stability against the top-seeded American, Fabiano Caruana. Playing with the white pieces, Erigaisi opened with the King’s Pawn and steered the game into a Berlin Defense. The Indian grandmaster castled early.
By the 22nd move, both queens were off the board, setting the stage for a balanced middlegame. Soon after, the players agreed to a draw through threefold repetition with 30 moves.
It was Erigaisi’s third draw of the tournament. Caruana, also grappling with form issues, welcomed the result. For Erigaisi, the draw against a higher-rated opponent is a noteworthy outcome, but whether he can stage a comeback from here remains to be seen.
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu began his game against the defending champion of the tournament GM Wei Yi of China with a King’s Pawn Opening, met by the Morphy Defense.
Wei’s precise counterplay limited Pragg’s opportunities to launch a sustained attack. Queens were traded as early as the 16th move, signalling an imminent draw.
The stalemate was eventually formalised after 58 moves, capping a game where both players achieved over 99% accuracy, according to engine analysis.
With Gukesh holding Nodirbek Abdusattorov to a draw at the other corner of the room, Praggnanandhaa retains a share of the leaderboard’s top spot alongside the Uzbek prodigy.
Facing co-leader of “Wimbledon of Chess”, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, India’s Gukesh D exhibited boldness with black pieces early on in a Giuoco Piano Game.
Aggressive play defined the opening stages, but Gukesh’s 45th move (Kf8) allowed Nodirbek to seize the initiative.
However, the young Uzbek’s 59th move (Re8) squandered a significant advantage, enabling Gukesh to fight back.
After several strong defensive moves, a threefold repetition was agreed, ensuring Gukesh held the youngest-ever World Chess Champion to a draw in an intense battle.
Leon Luke Mendonca salvaged his tournament prospects by holding Max Warmerdam of the Netherlands to a draw after a difficult start.
Pentala Harikrishna shared points with home favourite Jorden van Foreest, a former champion of the tournament. Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri also drew his game against Germany’s Vincent Keymer.
The only decisive result of the day came from Alexey Sarana, who secured a victory against Slovenia’s Vladimir Fedoseev in a strong performance.
In the Challengers section, Vaishali Rameshbabu defended skillfully with the black pieces to hold Romania’s Irina Bulmaga to a draw. Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh suffered a crushing defeat against 11-year-old Argentine sensation Faustino Oro.
Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025: Round 6
- Masters standings: Praggnanandhaa (4.5/6), Abdusattorov (4.5/6), Gukesh (4.0/6), Sarana (3.5/6), Fedoseev (3.5/6), Harikrishna (3.5/6), Wei (3.0/6), Caruana (3.0/6), Keymer (3.0/6), Giri (2.5/6), van Foreest (2.0/6), Warmerdam (2.0/6), Mendonca (1.5/6), Erigaisi (1.5/6)
- Challengers standings: l’Ami (4.5/6), Bok (4.0/6), Nguyen (4.0/6), Lu (3.5/6), Nogerbek (3.5/6), Vaishali (3.5/6), Suleymanli (3.5/6), Svane (3.0/6), Yakubboev (3.0/6), Gurel (2.5/6), Oro (2.5/6), Pijpers (2.0/6), Deshmukh (1.5/6), Bulmaga (1.0/6).
