It’s something of a rite of passage in chess — the new champ is a marked man when he first returns to the board. Indian teenager Dommaraju Gukesh, who became the youngest world champion ever when he dethroned Chinese GM Deng Liren in their December title match,

Gukesh grabbed a win from the jaws of defeat, while R Praggnanandhaa also earned a draw after being in a losing position.

Hikaru Nakamura praised new world champion D Gukesh for showcasing resilience in his opening game of the 2025 Tata Steel Chess tournament against Anish Giri on Sunday.

At the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025, India's D Gukesh has excelled, remaining unbeaten and overtaking Arjun Erigaisi to become the new India No. 1. Gukesh's strong performances contrast with Erigaisi's struggles,

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 with a win over Vincent Keymer, who was his second when winning the chess world championship last month.

D Gukesh, the defending world champion, was off to a winning start in the 2025 Tata Steel Chess tournament in Netherlands, as he defeated Anish Giri. In other matches, defeated Arjun Erigaisi whereas R Praggnanandhaa played out a draw against Nodirbek Abdusattorov.