"Rise of Indian chess seems unstoppable": Gautam Adani lavishes praise on Praggnanandhaa for triumph in Tata Steel Masters
New Delhi [India], February 3 (ANI): Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani extended wishes to Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa for his "phenomenal victory" in the Tata Steel Masters 2025.
Praggnanandhaa won the prestigious title by clinching a thrilling title victory against World Champion D Gukesh in a dramatic final. With his sheer consistency and hard work, Praggnanandhaa stayed at the top and eventually clinched the title.
"Congratulations to GM Praggnanandhaa on his phenomenal victory at the 2025 #TataSteelChess Masters! India's chess prodigies, led by World Champion Gukesh and a growing army of young Grand Masters, are redefining the global chess landscape. The rise of Indian chess seems unstoppable!" Adani wrote on X.
Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa suffered surprise losses into Round 13, which resulted in the duo finishing the classical portion tied for first place, setting up a tense tiebreak battle.
In an engaging tiebreak, Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. He displayed composure under pressure to come back after a deficit and clinch the title.
Praggnanandhaa started well with the black pieces and maintained parity in the game despite Gukesh being up a pawn. In an intense climax, Praggnanandhaa blundered with his pawn in the final seconds, allowing the world champions to take away a win in the next few moves by forcing Praggnanandhaa to resign.
In the second game, Praggnanandhaa was with white pieces. He moved to a position which forced Gukesh to take his time and think. Gukesh ended up consuming too much time, which saw him walk on a tightrope. Praggnanandhaa had a 30-second advantage, and he used it well to force the world champion to resign, making the scoreline 1-1.
In the final game of the tiebreaker, Praggnanandhaa was down a pawn in the first minute while playing with white pieces. As the game headed towards the climax, Gukesh eschewed repetition and ended up making a blunder. Praggnanandhaa saw the opening and took full advantage of it. The world champions fought with grit and determination, but they fell short against Praggnanandhaa's calmness. Gukesh moved back in his chair as he realised the losing position he was stuck in and decided to shake hands with Praggnanandhaa, which brought an end to a thrilling final. (ANI)
(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)
