Wesley So clarifies R Praggnanandhaa draw controversy at Tata Steel Chess India Rapid: 'I was the one who...'

A controversial moment involving Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and American GM Wesley So during the 2026 Tata Steel Chess India Rapid tournament created a lot of debate in the chess world last week. The incident happened during Round 6 on Day 2 of the tournament in Kolkata and quickly became the most talked-about moment of the event.

During the game, Praggnanandhaa was in severe time trouble and had just one second left on his clock. He pushed a pawn close to promotion, but soon realised that he did not have enough time to complete the move and replace the pawn with a new queen. As his clock was about to run out, Pragg stopped the clock and asked for assistance.

Many viewers and commentators felt that Wesley So should have won the game on time. However, after a brief discussion, the arbiters declared the game a draw. This decision surprised many and led to strong reactions online. Meanwhile, some even praised Wesley for his sportsmanship.

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Wesley So reacts to the strange incident

Wesley So took to social media to clear the confusion. Writing on X, he explained that the draw was actually suggested by him and not forced by the arbiters. He also defended the officials, saying they acted in the best possible way under pressure and should not be criticised.

“Regarding my game with Pragg yesterday, I was the one who proposed to draw the game, not the arbiters. Things happened so fast and everyone did what seems best at the moment. Criticizing the arbiters are uncalled for,” So wrote. He also congratulated Nihal Sarin for his excellent performance in the tournament.

Regarding my game with Pragg yesterday, I was the one who proposed to draw the game, not the arbiters. Things happened so fast and everyone did what seems best at the moment.😀 Criticizing the arbiters are uncalled for. Big congrats to @NihalSarin for dominating the rapid!

— Wesley So (@WesleySo_) January 9, 2026

Despite So’s clarification, the incident continued to spark debate. Renowned chess arbiter Chris Bird openly criticised the decision, arguing that the rules did not support a draw in that situation. He stated that stopping the clock is allowed only after a promotion has taken place, which had not happened in this case.

Should have been ruled a loss. "6.11.2 A player may pause the chessclock only in order to seek the arbiter’s assistance, for example when promotion has taken place and the piece required is not available." No promotion actually took place so this is not relevant here. https://t.co/3JetzPncSw

— Chris Bird (@ChrisBirdIA) January 8, 2026

Wesley So is currently leading the Open Blitz section of the Tata Steel Chess India 2026, while Arjun Erigaisi is in second and Nihal Sarin in third place.

Meanwhile, Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin won the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid title on Friday. His victory was emotional, as it came just a day after the passing of his maternal grandfather, who had introduced him to chess.

Nihal sealed the Open title in Round 9 with a calm draw against five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand. He finished with 6.5 points, while Anand ended second with six points and Arjun Erigaisi took third place with five points.

In the women’s section, Russia’s Kateryna Lagno won the title with 6.5 points, followed by Aleksandra Goryachkina in second place and current Women’s Chess World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh finishing third.