Tata Steel Chess: Giri stops Abdusattorov’s momentum, Gukesh beats Fedoseev

Giri scores second win in a row, Gukesh bounces back

The eighth round of the Tata Steel Masters saw Anish Giri defeating tournament leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Giri’s tournament had begun on a shaky note – in round one he blundered a piece early, and after seven rounds he had merely one win to his name alongside four draws. Few would have predicted that his second victory would come against the tournament’s top scorer.

The game developed from a closed structure in which Giri gradually advanced his kingside pawns, restricting Abdusattorov’s pieces and limiting their scope. The Uzbek grandmaster’s attempts to liberate his position led instead to misplaced pieces and pawn losses. At one point Giri left a knight insufficiently protected, but Abdusattorov was unable to exploit this weakness, as he faced a more urgent problem: an advancing passed pawn that he could no longer stop. The result brought Giri to 4 points after 8 rounds.

Local hero Anish Giri taking a stroll | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Giri now shares a fifty-percent score with Vincent Keymer and Matthias Bluebaum, who both drew in round eight. Keymer’s game against Javokhir Sindarov ended peacefully, while Bluebaum’s encounter with Thai Dai Van Nguyen was anything but straightforward.

In the post-game interview, Nguyen described the struggle as one of the most nerve-racking games of his career, pointing to the demanding time control without increment before move 40, the complexity of the position and the prestige of what is often referred to as the “Wimbledon of chess”. Bluebaum had seized a winning advantage after an opening slip by Nguyen, who was also short of time, yet the Czech GM defended resourcefully. The game swung back and forth, and Bluebaum was ultimately forced to accept a draw by repetition.

GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
The King’s Indian Defence has been one of the most dynamic and popular responses to 1.d4 for decades. Legends such as Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Hikaru Nakamura have employed it at the highest level – and it continues to fascinate today, as it offers Black not only solidity but also rich attacking and counterattacking opportunities. Its special advantage: the King’s Indian is a universal system, equally effective against 1.d4, 1.c4, and 1.Nf3. Grandmaster Felix Blohberger, multiple Austrian Champion and experienced second, presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black. His approach: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: London System

Thai Dai Van Nguyen escaped with a draw against Matthias Bluebaum | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Despite his loss, Abdusattorov remains in first place with 5½ points, although his margin has narrowed. Sindarov’s draw means the gap between the two Uzbek players has shrunk to just half a point.

Another key result saw world champion Gukesh Dommaraju return to form with a convincing win over Vladimir Fedoseev, lifting him to 4 points after suffering two losses in a row.

Gukesh Dommaraju | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Javokhir Sindarov remains in sole second place | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Still one of the most attractive tournaments in the chess calendar – if not the most attractive | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Round 8 results

Standings after round 8

All games

Maurizzi and Woodward score, share the lead

Round eight in the Challengers once again featured a high number of decisive games, with six of the seven encounters producing a winner. Co-leaders Andy Woodward and Marc’Andria Maurizzi both won, maintaining their shared lead on 6½ points out of 8.

Woodward, 15, defeated 12-year-old Faustino Oro with the black pieces in a highly anticipated meeting of two of the youngest players in the field. From a Ruy Lopez, Woodward seized the initiative soon after the opening and did not relinquish it. A tactical oversight by Oro eventually decided the contest. Since losing in round one to Bibisara Assaubayeva, Woodward has scored 5½ points from 6 games, including five consecutive wins before a brief pause with a draw in round seven.

The King‘s Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible, and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities.

Faustino Oro was defeated by Andy Woodward | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Maurizzi, 18 and the 2023 World Junior Champion, beat Lu Miaoyi with white. After an even opening phase, Lu committed two inaccuracies, after which her position quickly fell apart.

Marc’Andria Maurizzi | Photo: Tata Steel Chess / Lennart Ootes

Half a point behind the leaders stands Aydin Suleymanli, who defeated Carissa Yip with black. Suleymanli, runner-up in last year’s Challengers, has so far scored four wins and four draws and remains firmly in contention.

Another game that drew attention featured crowd favourite Vasyl Ivanchuk, who outplayed Max Warmerdam in a Najdorf Sicilian. As has often been the case, Ivanchuk handled the position with great understanding but had to negotiate serious time pressure as the first time control approached.

This video course includes GM Anish Giri’s deep insights and IM Sagar Shah’s pertinent questions to the super GM. In Vol.1 all the openings after 1.e4 are covered.

The final moments of the game were captured on camera.

Round 8 results

Standings after round 8

All games

Tournament schedule

Games start daily at 14:00 CET (7:00 ET, 20:30 IST), except for round 13, which starts two hours earlier than usual.

GM Blohberger presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
The King’s Indian Defence has been one of the most dynamic and popular responses to 1.d4 for decades. Legends such as Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Hikaru Nakamura have employed it at the highest level – and it continues to fascinate today, as it offers Black not only solidity but also rich attacking and counterattacking opportunities. Its special advantage: the King’s Indian is a universal system, equally effective against 1.d4, 1.c4, and 1.Nf3. Grandmaster Felix Blohberger, multiple Austrian Champion and experienced second, presents a complete two-part repertoire for Black. His approach: practical, clear, and flexible – instead of endless theory, you’ll get straightforward concepts and strategies that are easy to learn and apply.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: London System

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