In the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju emerged as the sole leader in the Masters standings after securing a Round 9 victory in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, yesterday. Gukesh defeated compatriot Leon Luke Mendonca with the white pieces in a 43-move game, bringing his tally to 6.5 points and claiming the top spot. 

Former co-leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan slipped to second place after a draw against World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, while Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu dropped to fourth following a heavy defeat at the hands of Dutch No. 1 Anish Giri. 

In other matches, Arjun Erigaisi, who has struggled for form throughout the tournament, held defending Masters champion Wei Yi of China to a draw. However, Pentala Harikrishna suffered a loss against Slovenia’s Vladimir Fedoseev. 

Today, Gukesh will face Dutch GM Max Warmerdam, while Praggnanandhaa will take on Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev in another key matchup.