Tata Steel Chess 2025, Round 7: Gukesh beats Harikrishna; shares lead with Praggnanandhaa, Abdusattorov

World champion D Gukesh claimed a share of the lead at the Tata Steel Masters, outplaying World Championship runner-up P Harikrishna in the seventh round.

This victory marked Gukesh’s third in the tournament, putting him on course for his maiden title. He now shares the lead with fellow Indian R. Praggnanandhaa and Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, each with five points.

Praggnanandhaa, however, could not break through Jorden van Foreest’s defences, while Anish Giri drew his sixth consecutive game, this time against Abdusattorov.

Meanwhile, local hopeful Max Warmerdam compounded Arjun Erigaisi’s troubles, handing the Indian his fourth defeat of the tournament. Having entered the event as the second seed with a rating of 2801, just behind the United States’ Fabiano Caruana, Erigaisi has faced a major setback. He has lost approximately 28 rating points and slipped to sixth in the live rankings.

The other Indian competitor, Leon Luke Mendonca, appeared to be finding his rhythm, holding defending champion Wei Yi of China to a draw. However, the young Indian Grandmaster still faces significant challenges in the remaining six rounds.

Vladimir Fedoseev has re-entered the race for top honours, defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer. The Russian-turned-Slovenian now has 4.5 points, sitting in fourth place, just ahead of his former compatriot, Alexey Sarana, who now represents Serbia.

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Harikrishna, with 3.5 points, is tied for sixth place alongside Caruana and Wei Yi. Mendonca, with two points, is half a point ahead of Arjun, and they occupy the last two positions in the 14-player, 13-round tournament.

Gukesh faced Harikrishna’s French Defence, an opening he had extensively studied during the World championship match against Ding Liren of China. The Advance Variation introduced a certain volatility to the position, allowing Gukesh to create significant problems for Harikrishna. Ultimately, Gukesh skillfully restricted the black pieces and marched his king to secure a famous victory.

Praggnanandhaa, playing as Black against Foreest, found some early tactical opportunities. However, they only ensured a draw in an opposite-coloured bishops endgame. Abdusattorov, meanwhile, maintained a balanced position throughout his game against Giri.

In the Challengers section, R Vaishali drew with Benjamin Bok from the Netherlands, while Divya Deshmukh suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of Miaoyi Lu from China. Nguyen Thai Dai Van of the Czech Republic and Dutch Grandmaster Erwin L’ami share the lead in this section with five points each. Bok and Miaoyi Lu have 4.5 points, while Vaishali, with four points, shares fifth place.