After losses in Round 13, D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa played out a tie-breaker in the 2025 Tata Steel Chess Masters, with the former coming good in sudden-death to win.

In the tie-breaker between two Chennai players played in the blitz format, Pragg was the underdog because of exhaustion.

Praggnanandhaa’s remarkable comeback in the tiebreaker showcased his resilience and strategic prowess. After losing the first blitz match with the black pieces, he bounced back to claim victory in the second match with white, forcing a sudden death scenario.

The Indian juggernaut in international chess remained unstoppable as Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa fought through exhaustion and nerves to defeat world champion D Gukesh in a clash of compatriots to clinch the Tata Steel Masters title for the first time in his prolific career.

GM R. Praggnanandhaa held his fort against reining World Champion and compatriot D. Gukesh for a come-from-behind win in the tiebreaks to claim the Tata Steel Masters 2025 in Wijk aan Zee on Sunday.

The bespectacled 19-year-old from Chennai, a city that has become the cradle of Indian chess, came from behind to upstage the 18-year-old world number three 2-1 in the tiebreaker of the event's 87th edition.

The Tata Steel Chess 2025 Masters title was decided in playoffs after both joint leaders D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa lost their matches in Round 13 and were forced to participate in tiebreakers. Praggnanandhaa stunned chess world champions Gukesh in playoffs to clinch the Tata Steel Chess 2025 Masters title.

For Gukesh, this was the second year running when he tied for first position and lost the tiebreaker. In the previous edition last year, Gukesh had lost to Chinese Wei Yi

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious at the Tata Steel Masters, clinching his first title by defeating world champion D Gukesh in a dramatic tiebreaker. The event witnessed the 19-year-old from Chennai overcoming exhaustion and intense competition to become the first Indian to win since Viswanathan Anand.

Reigning World Chess champion D Gukesh was left devastated after his shocking title defeat to his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa at the Tata Steel Masters 2025 in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands on Monday, February 3.

R Praggnanandhaa secured the 2025 Tata Steel Chess title after a thrilling tiebreak victory over D Gukesh, crediting Arjun Erigaisi's crucial win and humorously suggesting he should buy him a gift for the assist.