World Champion D. Gukesh returned to winning ways with a crucial victory over Thai Dai Van Nguyen of the Czech Republic, while overnight joint leader Arjun Erigaisi suffered a surprise defeat against Vladimir Fedoseev of Slovenia in the fifth round of the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament on Thursday.

Gukesh’s win ended a string of draws and took him to three points out of a possible five, placing the Indian star in joint fourth position ahead of the tournament’s first rest day. The timely result helped him close the gap on the leaders after a steady but winless start to the prestigious event.

Arjun Erigaisi, who had been among the joint leaders going into the round, slipped to joint seventh place following his loss to Fedoseev. The Slovenian employed a risky but effective strategy, pushing Erigaisi into a passive middlegame position from which the Indian could not recover. With his pieces tied down and his king exposed, Erigaisi eventually succumbed to sustained pressure.

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At the top of the standings, Hans Moke Niemann of the United States and Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan played out a draw, keeping both players among the leaders on 3.5 points. They were joined by Abdusattorov’s compatriot and World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov, who defeated Turkey’s Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus after a prolonged struggle.

Gukesh secured his victory with the black pieces in a Queen’s Indian Defence, producing a highly technical game that lasted 51 moves. The Indian sacrificed a rook for a minor piece to mount sustained pressure, a decision that ultimately paid off as Nguyen failed to withstand the attack.

Elsewhere, R Praggnanandhaa settled for his third draw of the tournament against Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri, while Aravindh Chithambaram lost to Germany’s Vincent Keymer. With nine rounds still to be played in the 13-round tournament, the standings remain tightly contested, promising an intense battle in the days ahead.

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