GM Gukesh D finishes as runner-up at Tata Steel Chess Masters 2024

In a four way lead to the tie breakers, he lost in the finals

Dommaraju Gukesh triumphed over Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran in the last round of Tata Steel Chess Masters 2024, joining a five-way tie at the top with Vidit Gujrathi, Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattarov, and Yi. A play-off was unavoidable as Giri, Abdusattarov, and Yi also won their games.

Vidit Gujrathi suffered a loss to Yi and lost his chance for the title as well as the India No 1 rank to Viswanathan Anand. Gukesh faced Giri in the play-off semi-final. He lost the first 3+2 minutes blitz game, but recovered with victories in the second game and sudden death, reaching the play-off final.

Gukesh, 17, could not gain an edge with the white pieces in the first blitz game against Yi and agreed to a draw. Yi won the second game and clinched the title.

India’s Leon Luke Mendonca won the 2024 Tata Steel Challengers title by defeating his fellow countryman Divya Deshmukh in the final round in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. The 17-year-old finished the tournament with 9.5 points out of 13 rounds, keeping a half-point lead over Grandmasters Daniel Dardha of Belgium and Marc Andria Maurizzi, who came second.

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Leon Luke Mendonca, who became a Grandmaster in January 2021, had a tough start to the tournament with only three points in the first six rounds. However, the teenager turned things around, going on a brilliant streak and scoring 6.5 points in the next seven rounds. Mendonca said in his post-victory interview with organizers that he only realized he had a real shot at winning before the final round.

The title win also earns Mendonca a spot in the Masters section in the next Tata Steel Chess event.

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