Gukesh beats Fedoseev to bounce back at Tata Steel Masters

World Champion D Gukesh defeated Vladimir Fedoseev to bounce back at the Tata Steel Masters. Anish Giri beat leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa held draws. Abdusattorov still leads with 5.5 points after eight rounds

Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands): World Champion D Gukesh bounced back after two consecutive losses and defeated Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia in the eighth round of the Tata Steel Masters here on Monday.

Gukesh won handsomely with the black pieces, a result that should boost his confidence.

---

The Indian ace had been playing well till the first rest day but then lost two games in a row before pulling one back. It was a picturesque finish when Gukesh sacrificed his rook and wrapped up the game in 41 moves.

On a day when Arjun Erigaisi survived a difficult position against compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram and settled for a draw, R Praggnanandhaa escaped in a pawn-down endgame to hold youngster Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey.

Meanwhile, local favourite Anish Giri threw the tournament open with a fine victory against overnight leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan.

Abdusattorov remained in sole lead on 5.5 points despite the loss, as his nearest rival and compatriot Javokhir Sindarov was held to a draw by Vincent Keymer of Germany.

With five rounds to go, Abdusattorov on 5.5 points is still at the top, pursued closely by Sindarov half a point behind.

The day produced just two decisive games out of seven in the 14-player field, which meant that 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey stayed in joint third spot with Hans Moke Niemann of the United States and Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands.

Close behind and hoping for a few victories is Gukesh on four points, with Giri, Fedoseev, Keymer and Matthias Bluebaum of Germany also in contention.

Erigaisi is next on 3.5 points after drawing Chithambaram, while Praggnanandhaa still awaits his first win — a rare sight in any tournament he has played in recent years.

Results round 8:
Hans Moke Niemann (4) drew with Jorden van Foreest (Ned, 4); Aravindh Chithambaram (Ind, 2.5) drew with Arjun Erigaisi (Ind, 3.5); Vladimir Fedoseev (Slo, 4) lost to D Gukesh (Ind, 4); Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (Tur, 4.5) drew with R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 3); Vincent Keymer (Ger, 4) drew with Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb, 5); Thai Dai Van Nguyen (Cze, 3) drew with Matthias Bluebaum (Ger, 4).