Praggnanandhaa, Aravindh Maintain Lead After Drawing in Prague Masters Chess Tournament

In the fifth round of the prestigious Prague Masters chess tournament held in Prague, Indian Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram played out a careful draw, preserving their joint leadership positions.

Indians Hold Steady at the Top​

Both Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh now have 3.5 points each, maintaining a solid one-point lead ahead of a group of formidable opponents. The chasing pack, each at 2.5 points, includes top seed Wei Yi of China, Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri, Vietnam's Quang Leim Le, and Vincent Keymer from Germany.

Trailing further back in the tournament standings are local Czech hopefuls David Navara and Nguyen Thai Dai Van, along with Sam Shankland of the United States and Turkey’s Gurel Ediz, all tied at two points each.

Praggnanandhaa-Aravindh Clash Ends Quietly​

In a cautious approach by Aravindh, playing black against Praggnanandhaa, the Berlin Defense—popularized decades ago by legendary Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik in his famed match against Garry Kasparov—allowed for a straightforward and balanced position. The strategy led to frequent exchanges, quickly simplifying into a rook and pawn endgame.

Although Praggnanandhaa managed to gain an extra pawn initially, Aravindh’s counterplay neutralized any advantage, eventually forcing Praggnanandhaa into a theoretically drawn endgame by sacrificing a second pawn to strip the white king of safe cover.

This marked the third consecutive classical encounter between Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh ending in a draw, highlighting their evenly matched chess prowess.

Wei Yi Scores Decisive Win, Bounces Back Strongly​

In a notable result of the round, China's Wei Yi continued his resurgence by defeating Sam Shankland of the United States. Shankland, playing white, suffered a critical oversight, enabling Wei Yi to create a dangerous passed pawn on the queen-side. The Chinese grandmaster seized this opportunity aggressively, securing victory in only 27 moves.

After dropping two early games, Wei Yi has found his rhythm, scoring back-to-back victories, having previously defeated Czech player David Navara.

Other encounters ended peacefully, with Anish Giri drawing Nguyen Thai Dai Van, David Navara recovering from a challenging position against Vincent Keymer, and Quang Leim Le splitting points with Turkey’s Gurel Ediz.

Challengers Section: Mixed Fortunes for Divya Deshmukh​

In the Challengers category, Indian player Divya Deshmukh faced disappointment, suffering her third defeat in the tournament against French Grandmaster Marc'Andria Maurizzi. Divya initially held a balanced position but was eventually outplayed in the endgame, leaving her at 1.5 points.

Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev emerged as the sole leader in this section after a convincing victory over Czech competitor Jachym Nemec, securing four points from five games.

Tournament Schedule and Current Standings​

Both Masters and Challengers sections will enjoy a rest day on Monday, with competition resuming on Tuesday for the sixth round. Four more rounds remain in the 10-player round-robin format.

Round 5 Results:​

• Masters Section:
  
  • R Praggnanandhaa (IND, 3.5) drew with Aravindh Chithambaram (IND, 3.5)
  • Sam Shankland (USA, 2) lost to Wei Yi (CHN, 2.5)
  • David Navara (CZE, 2) drew with Vincent Keymer (GER, 2.5)
  • Quang Leim Le (VIE, 2.5) drew with Gurel Ediz (TUR, 2)
  • Anish Giri (NED, 2.5) drew with Nguyen Thai Dai Van (CZE, 2)
• Challengers Section:
  
  • Richard Stalmach (CZE, 2) drew with Stamatis Kourkoulous-Arditis (GRE, 2)
  • Ivan Salgado Lopez (ESP, 3) defeated Vaclav Finek (CZE, 1.5)
  • Marc'Andria Maurizzi (FRA, 3) defeated Divya Deshmukh (IND, 1.5)
  • Ma Qun (CHN, 2.5) drew with Jonas Buhl Bjerre (DEN, 3.5)
  • Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB, 4) defeated Jachym Nemec (CZE, 2)

The next rounds promise intense chess battles as leaders strive to cement their positions atop the standings.