India’s top-ranked chess player Arjun Erigaisi accepted a draw against Serbian GM Alexey Sarana. Arjun was playing with white pieces but the game ended in just 23 moves

By: Sports Desk Updated: January 27, 2025 01:14 IST

Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa face off in round 8 of the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee. (PHOTO: Jurriaan Hoefsmit via Tata Steel Chess)

D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa played out a bloodless draw in round 8 at the Tata Steel chess tournament that ended in 33 moves on Sunday in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.

In what was a battle royale of two of India’s top grandmasters, there was very little to separate the duo with Pragg having white pieces. Both players had started the game as joint leaders in the standings in the masters section — a spot which they shared with Uzbek star Nodirbek Abdusattarov. All three players are still in joint lead after 8 rounds with Nodirbek holding off the event’s giant-killer Vladimir Fedoseev to a draw.

The Gukesh vs Praggnanandhaa contest started with a bit of a mind game from Pragg, who waited almost one full minute before playing 1.e4, which is the most common opening move in the book.

The first five moves saw Praggnanandhaa pulling out the Ruy Lopez while Gukesh opted for a Berlin. But Praggnanandhaa opted for the Anti-Berlin, as he played 4.d3.

After both players blitzed out six moves, Pragg left his chair, which was again odd considering both players were still very much in the opening phase, where most moves are mostly pre-choreographed.

INTERACTIVE: Gukesh vs Praggnanandhaa

The game came alive for a brief phase on the 23rd move, when Gukesh’s pawn advanced ahead (23… a3?!, which was deemed an inaccuracy by the engine which preferred 23… Rd8 as the best move).

That led to an explosion of exchanges on the board with both queens, a rook pair and a couple of other pieces being taken off. Both players had six pawns and a rook on the board when the draw was agreed. While Gukesh had a bishop, Pragg had a knight. But both players recognised that the game would not lead anywhere and decided to conserve energy and accept a draw.

Round 8, which fell right before the tournament’s second rest day, in fact saw all five Indian players in the masters section settle for draws.

India’s top-ranked chess player Arjun Erigaisi accepted a draw against Serbian GM Alexey Sarana. Arjun was playing with white pieces but the game ended in just 23 moves. Erigaisi has now lost 30 rating points in eight games at the Tat Steel chess event (about half the points he had gained over the course of 2024). He is yet to win a game at the year’s first super elite invitational event. Erigaisi’s winless streak in the Masters section at Tata Steel now extends to 21 games. He had won the challengers section in 2022, which earned him a spot in the Masters section in the 2023 edition.

Meanwhile, Pentala Harikrishna drew with Anish Giri, and Leon Luke Mendonca, who has yet to win a game, accepted a draw against Jorden Van Foreest of the Netherlands.

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