Praggnanandhaa Triumphs Over Keymer to Join Aravindh at the Top in x

Prague, March 2 – Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa continued his winning momentum at the Prague Masters, securing a crucial victory against Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the fourth round. With this win, he has joined compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram at the top of the leaderboard, both standing at three points.

Aravindh, on the other hand, navigated a tricky position before settling for a draw against American Grandmaster Sam Shankland. Meanwhile, China’s top seed Wei Yi registered his first win of the tournament, defeating Czech GM David Navara.

In other results, Dutch GM Anish Giri maintained his streak of draws, splitting points with Turkey’s Gurel Ediz. Vietnamese GM Quang Leim Le also shared points with Czech GM Nguyen Thai Dai Van in the 10-player round-robin event.

Indians in Command as Title Race Narrows​

With five rounds remaining, Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh lead the field, with Shankland, Keymer, Giri, and Le trailing a full point behind. The Indian duo now emerges as strong contenders for the title.

Praggnanandhaa’s latest win was particularly significant, as it avenged his loss to Keymer in the Tata Steel Masters earlier this year. Playing black, the Indian GM opted for the French Defense, a choice that initially seemed risky. However, as the game transitioned into the middlegame, Keymer faltered, allowing Praggnanandhaa to seize control.

A crucial queen trade initiated Praggnanandhaa’s counterattack, while Keymer, pressed for time, miscalculated with a series of ineffective rook maneuvers. Praggnanandhaa capitalized on this, gaining two pawns and converting his advantage into victory in 44 moves.

Aravindh Holds Shankland to a Draw​

Aravindh, playing white, faced the Sicilian Defense from Shankland, who neutralized his initiative early. Despite a minor edge in the endgame, Shankland could not press for more than a theoretical draw. The game concluded with a balanced rook-and-pawn ending, where the extra pawn held no decisive impact.

Showdown Between the Leaders Next​

The upcoming fifth round promises an exciting clash as the two tournament leaders, Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh, face each other. With Praggnanandhaa having the advantage of playing white, the encounter could prove decisive in shaping the tournament’s final outcome.

Challengers' Section: Divya Deshmukh Holds Ground​

In the Challengers’ section, Indian WGM Divya Deshmukh secured a hard-fought draw against China’s Ma Qun, bringing her tally to 1.5 points from four rounds.

At the top, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev and Denmark’s Jonas Buhl Bjerre lead with three points each.

Round 4 Results​

Prague Masters​

• Aravindh Chithambaram (IND, 3) drew with Sam Shankland (USA, 2)
• Vincent Keymer (GER, 2) lost to R Praggnanandhaa (IND, 3)
• Wei Yi (CHN, 1.5) beat David Navara (CZE, 1.5)
• Gurel Ediz (TUR, 1.5) drew with Anish Giri (NED, 2)
• Nguyen Thai Dai Van (CZE, 1.5) drew with Quang Leim Le (VIE, 2)

Challengers’ Section​

• Stamatis Kourkoulous-Arditis (GER, 1.5) drew with Ivan Salgado Lopez (ESP, 2)
• Vaclav Finek (CZE, 1.5) lost to Marc’andria Maurizzi (FRA, 2)
• Divya Deshmukh (IND, 1.5) drew with Ma Qun (CHN, 2)
• Jonas Buhl Bjerre (DEN, 3) drew with Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB, 3)
• Nemec Jychym (CZE, 1.5) lost to Richard Stalmach (CZE, 1.5)

With the tournament heating up, all eyes will be on the Indian showdown in the next round, as Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh battle for sole leadership.