Despite beating reigning world champion D Gukesh in the blitz tie-breaks to to win the prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, R Praggnanandhaa will not be in action in the opening event of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour in Germany.

In the second game, Gukesh had a fine position but was gradually outplayed. In the third game, the decider, Praggnanandhaa was again on the defensive with his white pieces but then found some nice moves and Gukesh got overambitious in a position that would have been a draw otherwise.

R Praggnanandhaa triumphed over world champion D Gukesh 2-1 in a thrilling tiebreaker to win the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament, despite both players facing surprising losses in the final round.

Praggnanandhaa received a warm welcome upon his arrival in Chennai on Tuesday and he reflected on the tournament win

R Praggnanandhaa made history on Sunday by defeating reigning World Champion and compatriot D Gukesh to claim his maiden Tata Steel Chess tournament crown, marking the biggest win of his career so far.

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa clinched the Tata Steel Masters 2025 title by defeating World Champion D Gukesh in a dramatic tiebreaker in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, on February 2 (Sunday). Praggnanandhaa made history as he became the first Indian since Viswanathan Anand in 2006 to win the top honours at the prestigious Tata Steel Masters.

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won the Tata Steel Masters 2025, beating world champion D Gukesh in a thrilling tiebreak in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands on Sunday, February 2.

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious at the Tata Steel Masters, clinching his first title by defeating world champion D Gukesh in a dramatic tiebreaker. The event witnessed the 19-year-old from Chennai overcoming exhaustion and intense competition to become the first Indian to win since Viswanathan Anand.

In the tie-breaker between two Chennai players played in the blitz format, Pragg was the underdog because of exhaustion.

Following the win, Praggnanandhaa cheekily thanked compatriot Arjun Erigaisi, who earlier in the final round handed Gukesh a shocking loss.