 "D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa have recently won two major chess tournaments receptively. Image: PTI")
China’s No. 1 chess player Grandmaster Wei Yi has praised India’s D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa for their hunger to win matches even with black pieces. Wei Yi’s praise for the Indian duo came after Praggnanandhaa defeated Gukesh in a tie-breaker to win the Tata Steel Masters 2025 title earlier this month .
It was the biggest title victory for Praggnanandhaa so far in his nascent career as he went on to beat world champion Gukesh in a dramatic end to the ‘Wimbledon of Chess’. Gukesh became the youngest world chess champion in December 2024 by beating Ding Liren of China in Singapore .
Wei Yi praises Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa
On the sideline of the event, Wei Yi, who won the Tata Steel Masters competition in 2024 and finished the latest edition undefeated, was asked about the players who impressed him the most at the tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands. And the Chinese GM went with the Indian young chess players, who are ruling the biggest tournaments in the sport.
“I think it was Gukesh, Pragg, and Abdusattorov because, in every game, they wanted to win,” Wei Yi told the Times of India. “For me, if I played with Black, I would try to play solidly, but for them, even with Black, they still wanted to win. That’s very good, not just for the game but also for the audience.”
On Praggnanandhaa winning the Tata Steel Chess title, Wei Yi said: “I think he works really hard. He played many different openings in the tournament, and of course, he deserved the championship because in every game, he fought hard.”
At the Tata Steel Masters 2025, Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa were required to participate in blitz playoffs after finishing the tournament as joint leaders. Wei Yi, who won the 2024 edition by beating Gukesh in the playoffs, feels that the “better” way to decide a winner in case of a tiebreak in a classical tournament is to use the criteria of who has won the most matches.
“I think it may be better if the winner is decided by the number of winning games. But maybe it would be better if it were decided by some rapid games. For example, after a day’s rest, you could play two or four rapid games.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWei Yi will next be seen in action in the Norway Chess 2025 which will also include Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, world No.1 Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigaisi .