D Gukesh loses final tie-breaker to finish joint 2nd at Tata Steel Masters

D Gukesh finished joint second after suffering a heartbreaking defeat in the final tie-breaker against Wei Yi of China at the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament in Beverwijk, the Netherlands, on Monday.

Wei Yi became the first Chinese player to win the event in its 86 years of history.

Indian grandmaster Leon Luke Mendonca, however, won the challengers section, defeating compatriot Divya Deshmukh in the 13th and final round.

Gukesh won the 13th-round game with a black against Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran and then proved superior in three tie-break games against last year's winner Anish Giri to qualify for the final.

But in the final, Wei Yi was simply better in the return game after drawing the first. Gukesh squandered away the lead and Wei Yi showed his tactical acumen to win his first title in the Masters event.

Mendonca, who spent the tournament in the shadow of Gukesh, is happy and relieved to win the challengers section.

''I am very happy and relieved because it was not clear at all throughout the tournament whether I was close to winning or not. It was only before this round that I had a real chance. I also needed a lot of luck as well but mostly I am just relieved,'' said Mendonca after his win against Divya.

As he won the title, Mendonca will now play in the Masters section in 2025 and this is a big breakthrough for the young Goa-based player, who became a Grandmaster during COVID after he was stuck in Europe.