Gukesh holds Abdusattorov; Praggnanandhaa stays in lead

Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa lead Tata Steel chess tournament with Gukesh close behind, exciting games in round six.

World champion D Gukesh played out a draw with overnight joint leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan, while R. Praggnanandhaa signed peace with defending champion Wei Yi of China in the sixth round of the Tata Steel chess tournament.

With only decisive game in the 14-player round-robin tournament at the De Morian on Friday (January 24, 2025), Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa continued to share the lead on 4.5 points out of a possible six and Gukesh is right on the toes of the leaders with four points.

Seven rounds are still left in the first major tournament of the year.

P Harikrishna, Alexey Sarana of Serbia and Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia share the fourth spot on 3.5 points each and are within the striking distance of the leaders.

Gukesh held his ground in a challenging endgame against Abdusattorov, escaping with a draw after 64 moves.

The game began with the Italian Opening, leading to an equal middlegame.

However, as complications arose, Abdusattorov seized a persistent advantage and handled the position skillfully.