Arjun Erigaisi Prevails In All-Indian Clash; D Gukesh Shares Points At Tata Steel Masters

Top seed Arjun Erigaisi achieved a convincing win against compatriot R Praggnanandhaa, while World Champion D Gukesh drew a hard-fought match against World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan in the first round of the Tata Steel Masters.

Following a delayed start due to an environmental protest, the world’s oldest running super tournament finally commenced, keeping chess enthusiasts engaged for nearly five hours.

The first win of the event came from Hans Moke Niemann of the United States, who capitalised on an optical blunder by Slovenian Vladimir Fedoseev early in the middle game. Niemann seized the chance, leading Fedoseev to resign as early as move 16 when material defeat was unavoidable.

German Vincent Keymer also triumphed, defeating

Dutch star Anish Giri. Erigaisi, Keymer, and Niemann now share the lead with a full point, half a point ahead of Gukesh and seven others.

Erigaisi began with an exciting game against his friend Praggnanandhaa, facing the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. Praggnanandhaa made a mistake early in the middle game, leaving his king vulnerable.

Erigaisi exploited this, winning the match in just 32 moves.

Gukesh came close to victory but couldn’t convert his advantage against Sindarov, who played with the white pieces. Gukesh’s Queen’s Gambit Declined, a staple in his repertoire, led to a stylish queen sacrifice that seemed to ensure a win.

However, Sindarov’s resourcefulness permitted him to resist and the match ended in a draw after 78 moves, the longest of the day.

Another Indian, Aravindh Chithambaram, also started with a draw against Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum. Bluebaum, a participant in the forthcoming Candidates Tournament, remained solid and tricky throughout their Catalan opening match, which concluded after 41 moves.

In other matches, Turkey’s Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus drew with Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev, while Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands drew with Thai Dai Van Nguyen of the Czech Republic.

Results after round 1: Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) drew with D Gukesh; Arjun Erigaisi beat R Praggnanandhaa; Aravindh Chithambaram drew with Matthias Bluebaum (GER); Hans Moke Niemann (USA) beat Vladimir Fedoseev (SLO); Vincent Keymer (GER) beat Anish Giri (NED); Jorden van Foreest (NED) drew with Thai Dai Van Nguyen (CZE); Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (TUR) drew with Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB)

(With PTI Inputs)