The prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament 2025 in Wijk aan Zee is reaching its critical final stages, and Round 11 proved to be a pivotal one, dramatically tightening the race at the top. While the leader maintained his position, a sensational performance from a key challenger ensured the path to victory remains anything but clear.
The major news of the round came from the board featuring Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa and American strongman Fabiano Caruana, currently ranked world number 4. Playing with the black pieces, Pragg faced Caruana`s attempts at early aggression but responded with dynamic and active play, signaling his clear intention to fight for the win rather than settling for a quiet defense. The game saw complex maneuvers, and while it remained balanced for a significant period, subtle inaccuracies from Caruana in the middlegame began to tilt the scales. The decisive moment arrived on move 32, when Caruana made a critical error, allowing Praggnanandhaa to exploit a weakness and gain a decisive advantage. With the writing on the wall, Caruana resigned just five moves later. This impressive victory elevated Praggnanandhaa to 7.5 points, positioning him just half a point behind the tournament leader.
That leader, reigning World Champion D Gukesh, continued his solid, unbeaten performance. Facing China`s Wei Yi, the victor of the previous tournament edition, Gukesh introduced a surprise in the opening, steering the game into complex lines that demanded deep thought from both players. The resulting position involved significant material exchanges, ultimately leading to a situation where neither player could realistically push for a win. A draw was agreed upon on move 30. This result sees Gukesh maintain his narrow lead with 8 points, but the pressure from the chasing pack is palpable.
Also sitting just half a point back from Gukesh is Nodirbek Abdusattorov. However, the Uzbek grandmaster might be ruing a missed opportunity in his game against Vincent Keymer. Abdusattorov reportedly held a winning position after Keymer`s 28th move weakened his king`s defenses. Skillful play followed, but a sequence involving a queen trade allowed Keymer to escape from the jaws of defeat and secure a valuable draw. While he remains in contention, it was a moment where he could have potentially joined Gukesh at the very top.
In other Masters section games, veteran Pentala Harikrishna secured a hard-fought, patient victory against Alexey Sarana, adding crucial points to his tally. Leon Luke Mendonca celebrated his first win of the tournament, capitalising on an endgame misstep by Vladimir Fedoseev. Arjun Erigaisi`s challenging tournament continued with another draw, this time against Jordan van Foreest, though he demonstrated resilience by finding defensive resources when his position briefly deteriorated. Anish Giri defeated Max Warmerdam, but with only two rounds left and trailing the leader by two full points, his chances for the title are now effectively gone.
Standings After Round 11
- Dommaraju Gukesh: 8
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov: 7.5
- R Praggnanandhaa: 7.5
- Wei Yi: 6
- Anish Giri: 6
- Vladimir Fedoseev: 6
- Fabiano Caruana: 5.5
- Pentala Harikrishna: 5.5
- Alexey Sarana: 5
- Vincent Keymer: 4.5
- Jordan van Foreest: 4.5
- Leon Luke Mendonca: 4
- Arjun Erigaisi: 3.5
- Max Warmerdam: 3.5
With just two rounds remaining, the climax of Tata Steel Chess 2025 promises to be a nail-biting affair. D Gukesh holds the slimmest of leads, with R Praggnanandhaa and Nodirbek Abdusattorov poised to strike. Every subsequent game will be decisive in determining who emerges victorious from this fiercely contested tournament.
Dominic Ashworth