New Delhi: World champion D. Gukesh staged a timely comeback on Sunday, defeating Vladimir Fedoseev after suffering two straight losses at the Tata Steel Masters 2026 in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.
Playing with the black pieces, the 19-year-old Indian outplayed the Russian Grandmaster in a tactically sharp contest. The win lifted Gukesh back to joint fourth place on the leaderboard with four points, restoring momentum to his campaign, according to reports.
In an all-Indian encounter, Arjun Erigaisi and Aravindh Chithambaram played out an engaging draw, sharing the point after a closely fought battle.
R. Praggnanandhaa also had to settle for a draw against 14-year-old prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, who had earlier stunned Erigaisi in the tournament.
At the top, Nodirbek Abdusattorov continues to lead the standings with 5.5 points, despite suffering a setback against a resurgent Anish Giri, who beat the Uzbek grandmaster with the black pieces.
Javokhir Sindarov remains second on the table with five points, following a solid draw against Vincent Keymer.
After the rest day on Monday, action resumes on Tuesday with key matchups for the Indian players. Gukesh will face Matthias Bluebaum, Praggnanandhaa takes on Chithambaram, while Erigaisi is set to play Hans Moke Niemann in the ninth round.
The tournament is entering a decisive phase, with the standings still wide open and several contenders firmly in the title race.
