Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa said he was ‘still shaking’ after a ‘crazy day’ as he clinched Tata Steel Masters title for the first time in his prolific career after beating world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa clinched the prestigious Tata Steel Masters 2025 title in a thrilling showdown, defeating reigning World Champion D. Gukesh in a nail-biting tiebreaker last night at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. This victory makes R. Praggnanandhaa the first Indian since Viswanathan Anand in 2006 to claim the prestigious title.
The 14-player round-robin event ended dramatically, with both Gukesh and Pragg tied at 8.5 points after 13 rounds. Gukesh, unbeaten throughout the tournament, lost his final classical game to Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi, while Pragg was defeated by Vincent Keymer in a long battle.
History was created on Sunday in Wijk aan Zee as R Praggnanandhaa defeated D Gukesh in the playoffs to win the Tata Steel Chess Masters 2025 title. Both grandmasters were left disappointed in Round 13 as they lost their games. Arjun Erigaisi was in resurgent form and beat Gukesh in 31 moves.
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa made an extraordinary comeback in the title clash to defeat reigning World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh 2-1 in the tiebreaker, clinching the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament title on Sunday, February 2.

After a dramatic final round filled with surprises, the two young players found themselves tied at 8.5 points each following the 13th and final round, setting up a high-stakes tiebreaker.
Both Indian players, who had showcased aggressive and innovative styles throughout the tournament, suffered unexpected defeats in the final round. Gukesh, the youngest-ever World Chess Champion, lost to compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, who avenged his earlier defeat and overcame Gukesh in the FIDE rankings, becoming the highest-ranked Indian. Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa was defeated by Germany’s Vincent Keymer. Despite these setbacks, both still managed to secure 5.5 points, remaining joint leaders.
The tiebreaker began with Praggnanandhaa facing the Benoni defense with reversed colors in the first game. He appeared to have equalized comfortably in the middle game. However, Gukesh, showing resilience, pressed forward and eventually won the game after Praggnanandhaa blundered, losing a full rook.
In the crucial second game of the tiebreaker, Praggnanandhaa employed the Trompowsky opening. Though Gukesh, playing black, gained a slight advantage, Praggnanandhaa displayed remarkable patience, maintaining his position while waiting for his opponent to make a mistake. He capitalized on an unforced error from Gukesh, winning a pawn, and his technical skill helped him draw the game, leveling the score at 1-1 and sending the match into sudden death.
The sudden-death match had a time control of 2 minutes and 30 seconds for White and 3 minutes for Black. Despite being in a worse endgame position, Praggnanandhaa managed to hold his ground. Just when it seemed the game would end in a draw, Gukesh lost his composure in a nerve-wracking finale. He first lost a pawn and then his last remaining knight. Praggnanandhaa seized the opportunity, playing with perfect technique to claim victory and secure his maiden Tata Steel Masters title.
For Gukesh, this marked the second consecutive year he finished tied for first but lost in the tiebreaker. In the previous edition, he had been defeated by China’s Wei Yi. DD NEWS