Gukesh Pulls Off Great Escape Against Abdusattorov
GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov was at his ruthless best as he built up a winning advantage against GM Gukesh Dommaraju in round six of the 2025 Tata Steel Chess Masters, but the world champion once more demonstrated incredible resistance to escape with a draw. That was one of six draws, with only GM Alexey Sarana managing to pick up a win, against the high-flying GM Vladimir Fedoseev. Abdusattorov still leads with GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, while Gukesh is just half a point behind with seven rounds to go.
GM Erwin l'Ami remains the sole leader of the Tata Steel Chess Challengers after draws at the top, but there were two wins in round six. 11-year-old IM Faustino Oro played a fine endgame to beat IM Divya Deshmukh, though the Indian star could have trapped her young opponent's queen earlier in the game. The other win, lasting over six hours, was for GM Aydin Suleymanli against GM Ediz Gurel.
Round seven starts on Saturday, January 25, at 8 a.m. ET / 14:00 CET / 6:30 p.m. IST.
- Masters: Gukesh Denies Abdusattorov
- Challengers: 11-Year-Old Oro Beats Divya
- Tata Steel Online Chess Blitz Tournament
Masters: Gukesh Denies Abdusattorov
Tata Steel Chess Masters: Round 6 Results
There was only one decisive game in round six of the Masters, but the Abdusattorov-Gukesh draw had enough action for any round.
The one change on the standings was that Sarana caught Fedoseev, while Fedoseev dropped down into the tie for fourth, leaving Gukesh to take sole third place.
Tata Steel Chess Masters: Standings After Round 6
On many of the boards there was a quiet round six. GMs Arjun Erigaisi and Fabiano Caruana, who were both licking their wounds after losing to Fedoseev, made a quick draw in the Berlin, enabling Caruana to play in the first ever Freestyle Friday.
He would be one of the early victims of a man on a mission.
The other draws were much longer, but the balance was never seriously upset in GM Vincent Keymer vs. GM Anish Giri, GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu vs. GM Wei Yi, GM Pentala Harikrishna vs. GM Jorden van Foreest, and GM Leon Luke Mendonca vs. GM Max Warmerdam.
One player missing this year is GM Magnus Carlsen, who's won the title a record eight times. When he joined the commentary of IM Tania Sachdev and John Sargent he explained his absence as due to his becoming "less and less enchanted with the prospect of playing classical," though he didn't rule out "playing one last time for the road!"
He said he has great memories of Wijk aan Zee: "It’s been a little bit of a detox for me for the soul, coming there and having three weeks just to focus on chess and play against the very best in the world."
It's been a little bit of a detox for me for the soul.
—Magnus Carlsen on Tata Steel Chess
The clear game of the day on paper was co-leader Abdusattorov taking on World Champion Gukesh, and it didn't disappoint!
Abdusattorov ½-½ Gukesh
Despite being just 20 and 18, these two players already have an epic rivalry, with the most famous game the heartbreaking blunder and loss that cost India gold in the 2022 FIDE World Chess Olympiad in Chennai.
The loss was so devastating for Gukesh he put his head in his hand and didn't resign... Abdusattorov eventually pointed out his opponent's time had run out! https://t.co/rpJBRjzfs8 #ChessOlympiad #c24live pic.twitter.com/ClxdcC8qcG
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 8, 2022
In that game Gukesh had been dominating for most of the game, while in Wijk aan Zee it was Abdusattorov who seemed to be continuing his fantastic form. He even demonstrated an impressive stare before playing his first move.
Abdusattorov stops and stares at Gukesh before playing 1.e4 in the big clash of the day! #TataSteelChess pic.twitter.com/jHf2GZXTM6
— chess24 (@chess24com) January 24, 2025
While praising Abdusattorov's 16.h4! (for which you needed to spot 16...Qxe3? 17.Qc2!), Carlsen talked about the Uzbek star's strength, visible in how he'd pounced on a mistake by Van Foreest the day before.
Carlsen on Abdusattorov: "As soon as he gets the chance, he is ruthless—he calculates perfectly, he feels the momentum, and mentally he's right there. It's been very, very impressive!"#TataSteelChess pic.twitter.com/yyndw0mlaH
— chess24 (@chess24com) January 24, 2025
Shortly before he left the show Carlsen noted, "Gukesh's strategy has been a spectacular failure!" with ambitious play on the kingside only leading to an ignominious retreat, when only the relative solidity of the black position could save him.
Gukesh didn't make things easy, however, and for a long time kept the white advantage within manageable limits. He would say afterward:
I was under pressure for the whole game. I think I misplayed in the opening, but then I think I defended pretty well... I was always finding some tricks to stay in the game.
Even a not-strictly-necessary pawn sac didn't spoil matters, but 50.Rxg7!, allowing the knight on e5 to be captured, seemed to signal Abdusattorov breaking through, at least according to the computer.
"This piece-down endgame I was already happy to get," said Gukesh, however, and his optimism once again helped him to escape, since there would be one last twist. Just when the h-pawn seemed poised for a victory lap, 60...Re5! turned the tables.
A rivalry destined for great battles 🔥🔥 https://t.co/ICz8v9oEHk
— Tania Sachdev (@TaniaSachdev) January 24, 2025
"After Re5 I thought it’s over," said Gukesh, who revealed that he was briefly even hoping for more than a draw.
The black rooks and knight threaten to deliver checkmate, and Abdusattorov gradually came to terms with the fact that there was no longer a way to win. An epic battle!
Gukesh remains unbeaten as World Champion after finding a fantastic escape against Abdusattorov! #TataSteelChess pic.twitter.com/uaMpnN8snT
— chess24 (@chess24com) January 24, 2025
That's our Game of the Day, and has been analysed in depth by GM Rafael Leitao below.
In the end there would only be one decisive game.
Sarana 1-0 Fedoseev
Carlsen took an interest in the opening of this clash, since he noted Fedoseev's 3...Be7 in the Queen's Gambit Declined was an old favorite of GM Levon Aronian's. Carlsen explained he'd won a nice game against Aronian in Wijk aan Zee in 2012 after playing the same 7.h3 as Sarana.
Aronian had fallen into a concealed trap with 7...g6, while Fedoseev's 7...Qa5 was a healthy move, and by the time 10...Qb6! appeared on the board, Carlsen was predicting Fedoseev would follow wins over Arjun and Caruana by defeating Sarana to join the leaders.
Carlsen on Fedoseev: "He's very difficult to play against! He's got very good technique. Both in defense & attacking he just plays chess a little differently. He's one of those players you never feel good playing against even if you win—it's all a bit muddy and weird!" pic.twitter.com/MOT78dRB1o
— chess24 (@chess24com) January 24, 2025
The tricky tactics looked good for Black, and Sarana stopped for a 51-minute think. He said it was the first time that had happened to him (he'd normally move relatively fast even if surprised), and called it "such an unpleasant experience."
In the end he put his queen on b3, offering an exchange that would have given Black easy equality.
Instead Fedoseev correctly pushed for more, with Sarana later summing up, "Finally I’m happy, but it happened because I played a bad opening!" Black slipped into trouble, and by the time 20.d5! appeared on the board White was taking over. Fedoseev went on to collapse in the space of a few moves.
Sarana is the only player in the Masters competing in Wijk aan Zee for the first time and was happy to pick up his first win. He said of the event, "It’s an exciting feeling to play in such a tournament with such a huge history."
In Saturday's round seven Sarana will have Black vs. Caruana, while we also have Van Foreest vs. Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh vs. his world championship second Harikrishna, and Giri vs. Abdusattorov.
Challengers: 11-Year-Old Oro Beats Divya
There were just two wins in the Challengers, with draws among the leading players.
Tata Steel Chess Challengers: Round 6 Results
That meant L'Ami kept his pole position.
Tata Steel Chess Challengers: Standings After Round 6
16-year-old Gurel has had a tough couple of days. In round five he missed a win at the end of a 119-move draw against GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen, while in round six he was ground down in 92 moves and well over six hours by 19-year-old Suleymanli, who moved up into a tie for fourth place.
The standout result of the round, however, saw 11-year-old Oro pick up his second win of the event. It was a game that could have gone differently, since at one moment Divya could have played a beautiful sequence of moves to trap Oro's queen. When she missed it, however, Oro went on to display fine technique and grind out a win.
With seven rounds to go, an important weekend lies ahead before the players have their next rest day on Monday. There's also a chance to get involved yourself, with an online tournament on Sunday.
Tata Steel Online Chess Blitz Tournament
The arena is taking place on Sunday 26 January, during the Tata Steel Chess Festival, starting at 6:00 a.m. PT / 15:00 CET, and is open to everyone. The time control of the arena is 3+2, with the arena lasting for 2 hours.
Format
The format of the event is a two-hour rating-based arena, with a time control of 3+2. For every win, a player gains two points, and a draw gains them one point. If a player is on a winning streak, they gain bonus points. As soon as the two-hour timer runs out, the player with the most amount of points wins. More information on arena tournaments can be found here.
Prizes
The winner of the tournament receives a chessboard signed by all the Masters and Challengers of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025!
Second place receives a one-year Chess.com diamond membership, provided by Chess.com
How to join
Make sure to join our Chess.com club. One hour before the start of the tournament, you can join the tournament here.
How To Watch
The 87th edition of Tata Steel Chess takes place January 18-February 2, 2025, in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. The time control is 100 minutes for 40 moves followed by 50 minutes to finish each game, with a 30-second increment from move one. Both the Masters and Challengers groups are 14-player round-robin tournaments.
Previous coverage:
- Round 5: Fedoseev Beats Caruana; Abdusattorov, Gukesh Also Win Before Showdown
- Round 4: Praggnanandhaa Leads After 3rd Straight Win; Heartbreak For Arjun
- Round 3: Pragg Beats Arjun, Leads With Abdusattorov—7/7 For White In Challengers
- Round 2: Caruana, Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa Win To Join Leaders
- Round 1: Gukesh Beats Giri In Thriller As Tata Steel Chess Starts With A Bang
- Tata Steel Chess 2025: 7 Talking Points
Colin McGourty led news at Chess24 from its launch until it merged with Chess.com a decade later. An amateur player, he got into chess writing when he set up the website Chess in Translation after previously studying Slavic languages and literature in St. Andrews, Odesa, Oxford, and Krakow.
