It’s something of a rite of passage in chess — the new champ is a marked man when he first returns to the board. Indian teenager Dommaraju Gukesh, who became the youngest world champion ever when he dethroned Chinese GM Deng Liren in their December title match,

In the third round of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, D Gukesh played a cautious game resulting in a draw with Fabiano Caruana. Both players now have two points, maintaining their positions in this competitive chess event.

D Gukesh, playing with black pieces, drew his second-round match in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025 against Vladimir Fedoseev. The day saw several players settling for draws, including Arjun Erigaisi and defending champion Yi Wei.

Gukesh grabbed a win from the jaws of defeat, while R Praggnanandhaa also earned a draw after being in a losing position.

Playing white, was a rare game by Gukesh as he decided against taking risks. The Ragozine defense met the Queen pawn opening and Caruana acted true to the position's will to expand his king side pawns.

D Gukesh draws with Vladimir Fedoseev while Leon Luke Mendonca suffers his second defeat at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament.