India, Jan. 27 -- The ongoing Tata Steel Masters chess tournament saw an all-Indian derby in Round 8 on Sunday, held in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands. It was a showdown between two close friends, as reigning world champion D Gukesh faced off against R Praggnanandhaa. The two Indian grandmasters ended up drawing the game, and they are now joint leaders with Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa initially held the advantage, but Gukesh was well-prepared. In the early middle game, Gukesh sacrificed a pawn to apply pressure on his opponent. However, the game appeared set for a draw. Both players traded queens and reached an endgame with rooks and minor pieces, where Gukesh had the upper hand with better options and an outside passed pawn. Nevertheless, Praggnanandhaa countered effectively, working his rook against the pawn, and the game ended in a draw after 33 moves.

In a viral video of the match, fans saw Praggnanandhaa arrive at the venue to find Gukesh already there. Initially, India’s No. 1 gave his friend an icy stare as they shook hands. The atmosphere was intense, with both players focused on giving their best performance.

However, after the game, the mood lightened, and the duo was spotted chatting on the sidelines of another game. In another viral clip, they could be heard discussing their moves, with Gukesh appearing to understand one of Praggnanandhaa's decisions. Their conversation ended in laughter and comical expressions.

Last month, Gukesh made history by defeating Ding Liren at the World Championship, becoming the youngest grandmaster to achieve this feat at 18 years old. He also became only the second Indian grandmaster, after Viswanathan Anand, to win the world championship title. Gukesh opted to skip the year-end Rapid and Blitz Championship due to other commitments in India, including award ceremonies. The Tata Steel Masters marks his first tournament since his historic victory in Singapore.

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