Gukesh Devastated by Tie-Breaker Defeat to Praggnanandhaa at Tata Chess Masters
D Gukesh was left heartbroken after his shocking tie-breaker defeat at the hands of R Praggnanandhaa in the Tata Chess Masters 2025 at Wijk aan Zee. The two grandmasters had been dreaming of a better result for themselves in the 13th round but fate was against them. While Gukesh, who had been leading early on in the tournament, saw his ship sink as he went down to Arjun Erigaisi in 31 moves, Praggnanandhaa lost a torturing seven-hour battle to Vincent Keymer.
In the blitz tie-breaker that ensued, Gukesh won the first game but lost the next two games; this meant that Praggnanandhaa took away the victory. Gukesh's feelings were left bare, hurt and vulnerable as he had to cope up with losing. Having gone so strong in the tournament, at the end, he lost the games, and in turn, it went to a tie-breaker, and his chances were crumpled in the final game.
The tie-breaker was a thrilling affair, Gukesh apparently holding an advantage in a pawn-up endgame. But failing to find the winning move left him to recover the pawn, and equalise. The final moments were excruciating: Gukesh ran out of time, ultimately blundering and losing.
A dejected Gukesh looked up at the ceiling, unable to hide his disappointment, while Praggnanandhaa stood stunned by the result. Despite the loss, both players showed sportsmanship, as they are also good friends. Meanwhile, GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen triumphed in the Challengers section.
The result was a painful end for Gukesh, who had high expectations but saw them fade away in the final stages of the tournament.
