Vidit Gujrathi defeats Daniil Dubov to become the sole leader of the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament.

In the renowned Tata Steel Masters chess competition, Indian Grandmaster Vidit Santhosh Gujrathi defeated Russia’s Daniil Dubov in the third round to take the lead with 2.5 points. However, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, a 16-year-old Gujrathi compatriot, was defeated by Dutchman Jorden Van Foreest late Monday night.

Apart from Van Foreest, Andrey Esipenko and Richard Rapport both won their games, putting them in a two-point tie with world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who also drew. In the match between Gujrathi and Dubov, the Russian, in keeping with his innovative flair, brought an innovation in the Italian Opening as early as move 8.

The Indian GM took the seemingly dangerous route of trading his dark-squared bishop and then accepting a pawn sacrifice in the center. As a result, he slowed down his progress, while Black’s king became trapped in the middle.

Gujrathi scored a point by capitalizing on Dubov’s mistake on move 32. With a unique line, Van Foreest surprised Praggnanandhaa and put considerable pressure on the black side. Praggnanandhaa held his own for a point before the Dutchman took control and won the match. Carlsen battled back to split the point with Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland, while Anish Giri of the Netherlands drew with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.

Gujrathi will face Espinenko in the fourth round on Tuesday night, while Praggnanandhaa will face Sweden’s Nils Grandelius in the 13-round final. In the Challenger event, Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi overcame Belgium’s Daniel Dardha in the third round to share first place with two other players, Thai Dai Van Nguyen (Czech Republic) and Volodar Murzin (Russia), who each scored 2.5 points.
Surya Shekhar Ganguly, another Indian GM, was held to a draw by Max Warmerdam of the Netherlands, giving him two points after three rounds.