Arjun ends 24-game winless streak, could ruin Gukesh’s Tata Masters title hopes; Praggnanandhaa to challenge India No. 1
Arjun Erigaisi’s victory also saw him end a 24-game run without a win at the tournament.
In a massive setback to his Tata Steel Masters ambitions, D Gukesh drew to GM Jorden van Foreest after a complicated heavy-piece endgame. Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa defeated Alexey Sarana to climb up the standings and is now joint-lead with his countryman Gukesh. On the other hand, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who was level on points with Praggnanandhaa crumbled to defeat to Arjun Erigaisi, who registered his first win of the campaign.
Before his win against the Uzbek GM, Erigaisi was winless in Wijk aan Zee this year, having bagged seven draws and four defeats. He is now 12th in the standings with 4.5 points. Meanwhile, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa are joint-leaders with 8.5 points.
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Arjun Erigaisi to ruin D Gukesh's campaign?
Erigaisi’s victory also saw him end a 24-game run without a win at the tournament. The result also puts Erigaisi in a crucial position. Although he won’t challenge for the title, but he could have a huge impact on who wins between Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa. Erigaisi will play with black against Gukesh in the final round on Sunday. Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa will also play and take on Vincent Keymer. The outcome of both games will decide the winner.
Speaking after his draw vs Foreest, Gukesh was asked if he was also following Praggnanandhaa and Nodirbek’s games. “A bit, but mostly I was just focussed on my game. It was clear that Abdu had done something wrong and Pragg was dominating from the start,” he said.
He stated, when asked about his upcoming game against Arjun, “Quite nice, I am already happy today that I managed to escape this game, but everything is set up for an exciting finish. I will just try to enjoy.”
The result also saw Gukesh become the new World No. 3 in the live ELO ratings. The FIDE ratings haven’t been updated yet. He is third with a rating of 2791.9, behind Magnus Carlsen (2833.0) and Hikaru Nakamura (2802.0). Meanwhile, Fabiano Caruano (2790.2) occupies fourth spot and Nodirbek takes fifth place with a 2774.0 rating.
