Praggnanandhaa successful Round 12 of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament successful Wijk aan Zee. (PHOTO: Jurriaan Hoefsmit via Tata Steel chess)
Praggnanandhaa defeated satellite champion Gukesh successful a tense tiebreak that went into abrupt decease to look arsenic the champion of the Tata Steel chess tourney 2025. It was a infinitesimal helium called the item and the astir stressful time of his career.
After defeating Gukesh successful the tiebreak, Praggnanandhaa was asked by commentator Fiona Steil-Antoni if winning the Tata Steel rubric was the “highlight of his young career”.
“Yeah, for sure. When I came here, I wanted to triumph the event. But the tract was precise strong. I didn’t truly deliberation astir it overmuch until yesterday. Can’t truly express… I’m truly happy,” said Praggnanandhaa.
Praggnanandhaa, asked if this was the astir aggravated time of chess successful his career, compared Sunday’s enactment with the abrupt decease conflict helium had with adjacent person Arjun Erigaisi a fewer years back.
READ MORE: Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi harvester to halt Gukesh’s bid to triumph Tata Steel chess rubric connected melodramatic time successful Wijk Aan Zee
“That crippled was besides insane, we went to abrupt decease similar present today. And past I managed to win. But contiguous is much special, due to the fact that I won the tournament. Definitely astir stressful day, I guess… Today’s classical crippled was (so extended) owed to pressure. But I was besides rather tired,” Pragg admitted.
INTERACTIVE: Praggnanandhaa vs Gukesh tiebreak crippled 1
INTERACTIVE: Praggnanandhaa vs Gukesh tiebreak crippled 2
INTERACTIVE: Praggnanandhaa vs Gukesh abrupt decease crippled 1
Pragg had mislaid the last crippled to Vincent Keymer, but acknowledgment to Arjun Erigaisi’s triumph implicit Gukesh successful circular 13, determination was a tiebreak. The Indian prodigy joked aft claiming the rubric that helium should astir apt reward his bully person Arjun Erigaisi for defeating Gukesh.
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WATCH: Pragg interrogation aft winning Tata Steel chess
“Should astir apt by thing for Arjun, yeah?” smiled Pragg portion talking to Fiona Steil-Antoni aft winning the title.
He said that helium wasn’t expecting Erigaisi to decision Gukesh. “I didn’t truly expect (Arjun to bushed Gukesh). Because astatine immoderate constituent felt that Gukesh was really better. When I saw the effect (of Gukesh vs Arjun), I had already misplayed and I was successful specified a hard presumption that I could not truly bash overmuch than beryllium and defend. I didn’t deliberation practically I had immoderate accidental successful my ain position.”