NEW DELHI: Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa battled fatigue and nerves to overcome world champion D Gukesh in a high-stakes showdown between compatriots, securing his first-ever Tata Steel Masters title. The 19-year-old from Chennai staged a remarkable comeback to defeat the 18-year-old 2-1 in the tiebreaker of the tournament’s 87th edition on Sunday.
With this victory, Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian since Viswanathan Anand in 2006 to claim the prestigious title.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. Anand praised him for his resilience, applauding his ability to bounce back after losing the first game to Gukesh in the tie-breaker.
The five-time Tata Steel Chess champion also used a viral phrase to playfully remind the world of his own past triumphs.
"Mere pass panch hai .. IYKYK!," anand wrote.
"Indian chess winter at Wijk! Congratulations to @rpraggnachess on winning his first @tatasteelchess event in Wijk aan Zee. The last day was not typical at all of his play. He played many brilliant games, but yesterday he got outplayed, then tenaciously defended a lost position. The tragedy for him was after getting close to the desired goal of a draw, he blundered again. @DGukesh had lost a while ago to Arjun, so we were in the unusual situation of both title contenders losing their games and going to the tiebreak," Anand wrote on his social media handle.
The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
Read MoreThe TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide.
From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more.
The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics.
We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects.
We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.