New Delhi: Top seed Arjun Erigaisi was held to a draw by world champion D. Gukesh in an all-Indian clash in the third round of the Tata Steel Masters at Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands, on Monday. Despite pressing for long phases, Erigaisi could not breach Gukesh’s solid defensive setup, and the players eventually split the point.
German grandmaster Matthias Bluebaum, who recently secured qualification for the Candidates Tournament, registered his first win of the event by defeating compatriot Vincent Keymer, according to reports. The victory lifted Bluebaum into the leading group with two points from three rounds.
The other Indian players also settled for draws. Aravindh Chithambaram played out a balanced game against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while R Praggnanandhaa recovered from his earlier setbacks to halt Thai Dai Van Nguyen of the Czech Republic in a hard-fought draw in the 14-player, 13-round tournament.
After three rounds, Erigaisi, Abdusattorov, and Hans Niemann were joined at the top of the standings by Bluebaum and Jorden van Foreest, all on two points. With only half a point separating the leaders from the chasing pack and 10 rounds still to be played in the season’s first super tournament, the coming games before the rest day could prove crucial in shaping the title race.
