R Praggnanandhaa was the joint leader with Nodirbek Abtusattaorov after the third round of the Tata Steel chess tournament being played in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands. The Indian and the player from Uzbekistan were on 2.5 points each, following two wins and a draw. World champion D Gukesh was in a pack of three players following the leaders on two points each.
Pragg, as he is known in the circuit, had drawn with Abtusattaorov in the first round. After that, he won against fellow Indians Pentala Harikrishna and Arjun Erigaisi in the subsequent games. Fifth in terms of Elo ratings of the players taking part in the year’s first elite competition, Pragg has made a bright start and this raises expectations.
After a comparatively flat run in 2024, when Gukesh and Arjun made waves, this is the time for Pragg to show what he is capable of. The 19-year-old from Chennai is known to pull off weird moves from nowhere and the world saw glimpses of that at the Candidates last year which was won by Gukesh. In Wijk Aan Zee so far, Pragg has appeared more solid and tactically strong.
Playing his first tournament after winning the World Championship in Singapore last month, Gukesh began with a win against Anish Giri of the Netherlands. It was a losing position for him and he won only after Giri made a blunder towards the end. He has drawn with black against Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia and with white against Fabiano Caruana of the USA since.
It has to be noted that in the 14-player field at Wijk Aan Zee, Gukesh has not had the best preparation. Attending felicitations after making history in Singapore, the youngest-ever world chess champion landed in the Netherlands hours before his first game. The returns aren’t expected to be spectacular and the 18-year-old has done well by making a steady start in the 13-round event.
It has been disappointing so far for Arjun. The World No. 4 began with a defeat against Harikrishna, and after a draw against Giri in the second round, he lost to Pragg in the third. This is supposed to be a big year for the 21-year-old. He didn’t get to play many elite events last year and the Tata Steel meet is one of the biggest in the world. He has 10 more rounds to script a turnaround.
After three rounds, Arjun and India’s Luke Leon Mendonca are at the bottom of the table with half-a-point each. These are the only two players to have not reached a full point yet. Mendonca drew with Harikrishna in the third round to open his account. A part of Gukesh’s team of seconds for the World Championship match, Harikrishna is on 1.5 points with three others.
Also Read: Fresh start and new challenges for Gukesh and the rest
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