Jan Henric Buettner, the driving force behind the G.O.A.T. Freestyle Challenge, had promised that the tournament in Weissenhaus would set a new milestone in the presentation of chess. This was indeed the case, and expectations were exceeded. It was the players themselves who had the most fun. The focus was not on opening knowledge, but on creativity and talent. Gregor Poniewasz has collected sounds and pictures from the final day of play.
It was a thrilling event from start to finish. The final round of the Tata Steel Masters saw four co-leaders grabbing wins to set up a four-way blitz playoff. Wei Yi, Gukesh D., Anish Giri and Nodirbek Abdusattorov played the knockout tiebreaker, which saw 24-year-old Wei claiming overall victory after showcasing his well-known tactical sharpness in the deciding stage. Meanwhile, Leon Luke Mendonca took clear first place in the Challengers after beating Divya Deshmukh with the white pieces. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess Tournament / Lennart Ootes
Gukesh D. and Nodirbek Abdusattorov scored full points on Wednesday to go into the second rest day of the Tata Steel Masters sharing the lead with 6½/10 points. Sharing third place at a half-point distance are Praggnanandhaa R. and Anish Giri, while Ian Nepomniachtchi is one of four players standing a half point further back Nepo joined this group thanks to a victory over world champion Ding Liren. In the Challengers, Marc’Andria Maurizzi won again and now has a full-point lead over Leon Luke Mendonca. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess Tournament / Lennart Ootes
By beating none other than world champion Ding Liren, Alireza Firouzja joined the leading pack at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee. The remaining decisive result of the round saw Ian Nepomniachtchi defeating former co-leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Meanwhile, in the Challengers, Marc’Andria Maurizzi beat Saleh Salem and leapfrogged him in the standings. Maurizzi is now the sole leader of the event with 5½/8 points. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess Tournament / Jurriaan Hoefsmit
Defending champion Anish Giri remains the sole leader of the Tata Steel Masters after six rounds. The Dutchman could have increased his lead, though, as he failed to convert an advantageous position against Parham Maghsoodloo on Friday. Standing a half point back is Alireza Firouzja, who bounced back from his round-5 loss by beating Wei Yi with white. In the Challegers, Erwin l’Ami escaped with a draw in his game against second-placed Anton Korobov to keep the sole lead. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess Tournament / Lennart Ootes