Tata Steel Chess, Round 9: Gukesh becomes sole leader after beating fellow India Mendonca

Tata Steel Chess, Round 9: Gukesh becomes sole leader after beating fellow India Mendonca

World champion D. Gukesh continued to look in good touch as he beat compatriot Leon Luke Mendonca in the ninth round of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, on Tuesday.

Gukesh, who became the youngest World Chess Champion in Singapore last month, beating Ding Liren in the final, secured his fourth win of the tournament in just 43 moves.

The result made Gukesh the sole leader going into the 10th round of the Masters’ section, with 6.5 points from a possible nine, in a what is called the Wimbledon of Chess.

Meanwhile, R. Praggnanandhaa, who came into the ninth round as the leader, lost to local favourite Anish Giri, and remains fourth in the standings, behind Nodirbek Abdusattorov from Uzbekistan and Vladimir Fedoseev from Slovenia.

Gukesh’s next four opponents include two Dutchmen, Max Warmerdam (rated 2646) and Jorden van Foreest (2680). He will also face a stern challenge from last year’s defending champion, Wei Yi (2751) from China.

Mendonca, on the other hand, hasn’t clinched a win yet, with five draws and four losses to his name.

Fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi, who had come into the tournament as one of the favourites with an Elo rating of 2801, also has had a similar fate. He faces Van Foreest and Abdusattorov in the next two rounds, before ending the tournament in an all-Indian clash against Gukesh.

In the Challengers’ section, R. Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh played out a draw in the ninth round, with the former ranked eighth in the standings.

Divya has won once and drawn twice, sitting second from bottom, while Vaishali, with six points, is eighth among 14 competitors.