Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025: Round 4 Recap
In an intense fourth round of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 held in Wijk aan Zee, India’s chess prodigy Arjun Erigaisi faced his third defeat, landing at the bottom of the Masters leaderboard with only 0.5 points. In contrast, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu emerged as the sole leader of the tournament with an impressive score of 3.5 points.
Arjun’s Tough Battle
Arjun, playing with white against Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev, began with the Queen’s Gambit Declined (QGD). However, a pivotal blunder on the 15th move severely compromised his position. Although a brief recovery seemed possible, a fatal decision to capture a pawn on f5 led to a decisive advantage for Fedoseev, forcing Arjun to resign on the 39th move.
Praggnanandhaa’s Stellar Performance
On a brighter note, Praggnanandhaa showcased his skills with a commanding victory over fellow Indian Leon Luke Mendonca. Utilizing the Ruy-Lopez opening, he displayed remarkable precision, achieving an accuracy of 94.3%. His daring queen sacrifice proved too much for Mendonca, who resigned after 46 moves.
Other Notable Matches
Pentala Harikrishna secured a swift victory against Max Warmerdam, completing his game in just 23 moves. Meanwhile, World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana and Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri played to a 36-move draw. In the Challengers section, Vaishali Rameshbabu claimed victory, while Miaoyi Lu maintained her position at the top after drawing with Irina Bulmaga.
Standings Update
As the tournament progresses, the Masters standings are led by Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (3.5/4), followed by a competitive field. With each round, the excitement builds, and chess enthusiasts can follow all the action on Looffers.com. Stay tuned for more updates and insights into the world of chess!
