Paphos (Cyprus), March 30 Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa kicked off his campaign at the prestigious Candidates Tournament by breaking through the defenses of Dutch player Anish Giri to secure a full point, and now shares the lead after the first round with American GM Fabiano Caruana and Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov here.
In a dramatic first round, World Cup champion Sindarov showcased his excellent tactical skills to turn the tables on Russia's Andrey Esipenko, while pre-event favorite Caruana stunned fellow American Hikaru Nakamura.
The other game of the eight-player double round-robin tournament between Germany's Matthias Bluebaum and China's Wei Yi ended in a draw, with both players sharing a point.
In the women's section, which was held simultaneously, Indian Grandmaster and Women's World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh drew with Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk, who replaced Koneru Humpy, while R. Vaishali survived some tense moments before sharing a point with Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva.
In fact, the women's section saw a series of draws, with Russia's Aleksandra Goryachkina drawing with compatriot Kateryna Lagno, and the all-Chinese clash between Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi also ending in a shared point.
Praggnanandhaa had been struggling in recent months leading up to the Candidates, but he has now bounced back in style, and Giri, one of the most consistent and solid players on the circuit, was simply no match for him on Saturday.
The game was a battle of nerves, with Praggnanandhaa challenging Giri's Sicilian Defense with black, and Giri responded with a solid defense. While the opening may not have achieved its intended effect, it certainly gave Praggnanandhaa an advantage.
Giri, running short on time, made a mistake in the endgame, losing a rook and pawn. The rest of the game was easy for Praggnanandhaa.
Caruana, on the other hand, played a flawless game with white.
Nakamura was close to leveling the game in the middle game, but the American, who is currently more active as a streamer than as a player, found himself in a difficult position.
Caruana sealed the game with precise calculation in the endgame.
The Candidates Tournament is being held in both the Open and Women's sections to determine the challengers for the next World Championship matches against reigning champions D Gukesh and Ju Wenjun of China.
Results (round 1) Open: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) beat Anish Giri (Ned); Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb) beat Andrey Esipenko (Rus); Matthias Bluebaum (Ger) drew with Wei Yi (Chn); Fabiano Caruana (USA) beat Hikaru Nakamura (USA).
Women: Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) drew with Kateryna Lagno (Rus); R Vaishali (Ind) drew with Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz); Divya Deshmukh (Ind) drew with Anna Muzychuk (Ukr); Jiner Zhu (Chn) drew with Zhongyi Tan (Chn).
