In an intense 72-move battle, D. Gukesh bounced back with a crucial win over German GM Vincent Keymer in the Masters section of the Tata Steel Chess 2025 in Wijk aan Zee on Wednesday.

D Gukesh secured a crucial victory against Vincent Keymer in a 72-move match at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025, marking his second win. R Praggnanandhaa held Max Warmerdam to a draw, maintaining his strong performance.

Dommaraju Gukesh earned his second win of the 2025 Tata Steel Chess Masters in Round 5, closing the gap on joint leaders R Praggnanandhaa and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

In a historic moment for Indian chess, 18-year-old D Gukesh has become the new India No. 1, overtaking Arjun Erigaisi in the live FIDE ratings after a stellar performance at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee.

After collecting three consecutive draws, D Gukesh defeated Germany’s Vincent Keymer, who was part of the team that helped him defeat Ding Liren in the FIDE World Championship in Singapore, to remain among the top three in the Masters section.

Gukesh, playing with white pieces, controlled the game from the start against Keymer, opting for the Nimzo-Indian Defense.

World Champion D Gukesh needed six hours to draw, while R Praggnanandhaa took the sole lead overall with 3.5/4

The cream of India's chess talent is playing at Wijk aan Zee this year. Besides Gukesh, Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa, Leon Mendonca, Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh are in action.

Indian chess gears up for a historic participation at the 87th Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, from January 17 to February 2

Arjun Erigaisi's losing run was stemmed with a draw against compatriot Leon Luke Mendonca, while Pentala Harikrishna also opted for an early draw against Chinese GM Wei Yi. The big surprise of Round 5 was Vladimir Fedoseev's shock win over Fabiano Caruana, which drew him level with Gukesh on 3.5 points.