India’s contrasting fortunes at the Tata Steel Masters continued in Round 10, with Arjun Erigaisi suffering another damaging defeat while reigning world champion D. Gukesh produced a composed endgame performance to keep his campaign on track in Wijk aan Zee.
Erigaisi, India’s highest-rated player, was outplayed by Germany’s Vincent Keymer in a game that underlined how quickly momentum can swing at elite level. What began as a balanced positional battle in a closed Ruy Lopez unravelled after a single inaccurate decision in the middlegame. Keymer seized the initiative immediately and never allowed Erigaisi a route back into the contest, converting his advantage with clinical precision.
For Erigaisi, the loss marked another step in a worrying slide. Only days ago he was within touching distance of the leaders, but a sequence of missed opportunities and errors has pushed him into the lower half of the standings. With just four points from 10 rounds, the Indian now finds himself in survival mode rather than contention, needing a strong finish simply to salvage respectability from a tournament that once promised far more.
The closed Ruy Lopez, renowned for its subtle manoeuvring and slow-burn tensions, offers little margin for error. One positional misstep can be fatal, and Erigaisi paid that price when Keymer exploited a weakened structure to launch a decisive assault. For the German, the victory was also important, coming in a tournament where his own form has been uneven.
At the other end of the Indian spectrum, D. Gukesh quietly reminded everyone why he wears the world champion’s crown. Facing 15-year-old Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, Gukesh showed patience and maturity well beyond his years. Playing with the black pieces, he neutralised White’s initiative, gradually outmanoeuvred his opponent, and then delivered a textbook endgame conversion.
The victory took Gukesh to five points out of 10 not the kind of scoreline typically associated with a world champion, but enough to keep him within striking distance of the leaders. With three rounds still to play, the Chennai-born star will need a near-perfect finish if he is to mount a serious late challenge, but Round 10 at least restored some momentum.
Elsewhere, R. Praggnanandhaa chose a low-risk route against Hans Moke Niemann of the United States. The Indian surprised many by opting for the Rubinstein Variation of the French Defence, an opening rarely seen at the highest level in modern times. The choice appeared to be part of Praggnanandhaa’s broader experimentation ahead of the upcoming Candidates tournament, where flexibility and unpredictability could prove valuable.
Niemann, perhaps caught off guard by the opening choice, declined to push aggressively with the white pieces. The game soon drifted into a series of exchanges, and before long both players found themselves in a completely equal rook-and-pawn ending. With no realistic winning chances for either side, the draw was agreed without drama, leaving Praggnanandhaa on 4.5 points.
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The day’s standout performer, however, was Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum, who continued his impressive surge by defeating Anish Giri. Fresh from beating Gukesh in the previous round, Bluebaum once again showed his sharp form, outplaying Giri to climb further up the standings. His back-to-back wins over elite opposition have turned him into one of the tournament’s most talked-about players.
Another tightly fought encounter saw Dutchman Jorden van Foreest draw with Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov. Both players added half a point to move to six, keeping themselves firmly in the race as the event enters its decisive phase.
With just three rounds remaining, the Tata Steel Masters is delicately poised. For India, the story remains one of sharp contrast. Gukesh is slowly gathering momentum, Praggnanandhaa is using the event as a testing ground ahead of bigger battles, while Erigaisi must now fight to arrest a slide that threatens to undo the promise of his early rounds.
At this level, small mistakes are magnified, and Round 10 was a reminder of how unforgiving elite chess can be.
Round 10 results
- Matthias Bluebaum (GER, 6) beat Anish Giri (NED, 4.5)
- Hans Moke Niemann (USA, 5.5) drew with R. Praggnanandhaa (IND, 4.5)
- Vincent Keymer (GER, 5) beat Arjun Erigaisi (IND, 4)
- Jorden van Foreest (NED, 6) drew with Javokhir Sindarov (UZB, 6)
- Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (TUR, 5.5) lost to D. Gukesh (IND, 5)
