Tata Steel Chess shows that world needs to get used to India’s young generation at top for years to come

A time earlier that tweet, 3 members of India’s aureate procreation — D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi — had been tussling implicit the committee to determine the destiny of the Tata Steel chess tournament. It’s go an progressively acquainted show astatine elite chess tournaments now, to person 1 — oregon much — of that trio warring for apical honours.

The Tata Steel chess tourney — which has been astir for 87 years and is often referred to arsenic the Wimbledon of Chess — came down to a two-horse contention betwixt Gukesh and Pragg, with Erigaisi playing a decisive factor.

“I should astir apt bargain thing for Arjun, yeah?” joked Praggnanandhaa aft beating Gukesh to triumph the ultra-competitive tourney successful Wijk aan Zee precocious connected Sunday night.

Erigaisi was having the astir wretched lawsuit of his caller vocation astatine Tata Steel. He did not triumph a azygous crippled successful the archetypal 11 rounds. And then, similar helium had conscionable flicked a switch, his signifier turned astir arsenic helium accounted for Nodirbek Abdusattarov successful Round 12, thereby astir taking different subordinate of the procreation of prodigies retired of contention for the title.

After enduring 1 of his worst tournaments successful caller history, Arjun Erigaisi took down Nodirbek Abdusattarov and Gukesh successful the last 2 rounds astatine Tata Steel Chess tournament. (PHOTO: Jurriaan Hoefsmit)

Then, conscionable successful lawsuit the satellite thought that the triumph was a fluke, successful the last round, Erigaisi handed Gukesh his archetypal decision arsenic satellite champion to permission the doorway wide unfastened for Praggnanandhaa.

The changing of defender successful modern chess had ne'er been much evident than astatine the Tata Steel tournament. While players of the somewhat older procreation similar Fabiano Caruana, Wei Yi and Anish Giri were besides successful the 14-player field, they were retired of the contention a agelong portion backmost with lone the younger batch keeping things breathtaking connected the past day.

Gukesh successful Round 12 of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament successful Wijk aan Zee. (PHOTO: Jurriaan Hoefsmit via Tata Steel chess)

So arsenic 21-year-old Erigaisi defeated 18-year-old Gukesh (after accounting for 20-year-old Nodirbek successful the erstwhile round), 20-year-old Vincent Keymer bushed 19-year-old Pragg aft a six-hour conflict to acceptable up a frantic two-man contention past the decorativeness line. With satellite no.1 Magnus Carlsen losing involvement successful classical chess and Hikaru Nakamura declaring himself a “streamer first”, expect this to beryllium the caller mean of elite chess successful the coming years.

The victor connected Sunday was decided successful a tiebreak betwixt Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa, a fitting extremity to the tournament. There, Gukesh won the archetypal crippled but Pragg fought backmost to unit abrupt death. In the 3rd crippled of their tiebreak, Pragg emerged victorious.

World champion Gukesh reacts aft losing the Tata Steel chess rubric to Praggnanandhaa successful the accelerated tiebreaks.
(Photo: Lennart Ootes via Tata Steel Chess)

“The past time was not emblematic of Pragg’s play (at Wijk aan Zee). He played galore superb games, but yesterday helium got outplayed, past tenaciously defended a mislaid position. The calamity for him was aft getting adjacent to the desired extremity of a draw, helium blundered again… In the tiebreak, Pragg mislaid the archetypal crippled earlier winning the adjacent 2 to go the 2025 champion,” wrote Anand connected X.

“Given what helium had been through, conscionable hanging successful determination would person been an unimaginable effort.”

Tough nuts to crack

While Anand was talking astir Pragg having survived a classical conflict of implicit six hours against Keymer and past having to combat Gukesh successful accelerated tiebreak conscionable 30 minutes later, helium mightiness arsenic good person been talking astir Pragg’s 2024.

The twelvemonth gone by was a quiescent twelvemonth for Praggnanandhaa. While Erigaisi and Gukesh had breakout years — the second becoming satellite champion portion the erstwhile broke into the 2800 nine — Pragg’s standing had stayed put. Which should not beryllium looked astatine successful alarm. He did commencement the twelvemonth astatine 2743 and ended it astatine 2741. By immoderate rational standards, that benignant of stableness astatine the apical of the ratings charts should beryllium celebrated. But not erstwhile 1 has peers similar Gukesh (who added 52 ratings points successful 2024) and Erigaisi (who roseate by 63 points).

RB Ramesh, the antheral who has shaped Pragg successful his formative years and is inactive portion of his grooming squad (besides Peter Svidler) said that Praggnanandhaa needed a tweak successful mindset.

“He’s playing for a triumph successful each crippled now. Earlier, if it was an adjacent presumption with him playing with achromatic pieces, helium would beryllium good with a gully astatine times. But now, he’s playing much aggressively. That’s the difference. He’s winning much games now,” Ramesh told The Indian Express .

He talks astir the effect that these 3 players person connected each other.

“The past twelvemonth has not been truthful peculiar for Pragg. Also, it coincides with Arjun and Gukesh some having a large year. So, considering each that has happened successful the past 1 year, this is simply a bully commencement to 2025 for Pragg. It volition springiness him a batch of confidence. It indispensable person had immoderate impact, astatine slightest psychologically, erstwhile you privation to bash good and spot your competitors doing better. It’s not casual to grip that. But I deliberation with this tournament, helium has enactment that down him,” adds Ramesh.

Not conscionable Pragg’s turnaround, the different large takeaways from Wijk aan Zee see Erigaisi’s appetite for a combat contempt his mediocre signifier and Gukesh’s hunger contempt becoming satellite champion hardly 2 months back.

The summertime of Indian chess is present to stay.