Praggnanandhaa Secures Tata Steel Chess Title, Jokes About Rewarding Arjun Erigaisi
The 19-year-old chess grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa defeated world champion Gukesh in a tense tiebreak at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 and emerged as the winner of the tournament. Pragg said the moment was the highlight of his career as well as the most stressful day.
After losing to Gukesh in a tiebreak, commentator Fiona Steele-Antony asked Praggnanandhaa if winning the title of Tata Steel was the highlight of his young career.
"Yes, sure. When I came here, I wanted to win this event. But the field was very strong. I didn't think much about it until yesterday. I really can't express... I am really very happy," said Praggnanandhaa.
Asked if it was the toughest day of his chess career, Praggnanandhaa compared Sunday's match to his impromptu death match with his close friend Arjun Erigaisi a few years ago.
"That game was also full of madness, we went up to a sudden death match like today. And then I managed to win. But today is even more special because I won the tournament. Definitely the most stressful day, I think... Today's classical game was so long because of the pressure. But I was also very tired," Pragg said.
Praggnanandhaa lost to Vincent Keymer in the last game, but in the 13th round, Arjun's win over Gukesh led to a tiebreak. After winning the title, Pragg joked that he should give some reward to his good friend Arjun Erigaisi for defeating Gukesh.
After winning the title, Pragg smiled and said, "Maybe I should buy something for Arjun, right?"