Prague Masters 2025: Praggnanandhaa Secures First Win; Aravindh Chithambaram Leads After Defeating Wei Yi

Prague, March 1: India's young chess sensation, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, clinched his first victory in impressive style against Nguyen Thai Dai Van from the Czech Republic in the third round of the Prague Masters. Meanwhile, compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram surged to the top spot with an emphatic win over tournament top seed Wei Yi from China.

Praggnanandhaa’s Dominating Performance​

Regarded as a favorite to clinch the title, Praggnanandhaa showcased his prowess by effortlessly navigating the complexities of a Nimzo-Indian Defense. Despite Dai Van temporarily gaining an extra pawn, the Czech player found himself consistently on the defensive—a typical scenario in such structures.

The crucial moment arose as early as the 14th move, where Praggnanandhaa seized a decisive positional advantage. Though the game saw occasional complications thereafter, the outcome was never uncertain. Demonstrating exceptional technique, Praggnanandhaa traded his minor piece for a rook, confidently sealing the victory.

Reflecting on his progress, Praggnanandhaa remarked, "Yesterday (the second round) was nothing; in the first round, I had a good position."

Aravindh Chithambaram Breaks Into World’s Top 20​

Meanwhile, fellow Indian Aravindh Chithambaram made headlines with a remarkable victory over Wei Yi, catapulting him into the world’s top 20 chess players based on live ratings for the first time.

In a fiercely contested Ragozin opening, Aravindh, playing white, displayed deep preparation and positional understanding. With the middle game in a delicate balance, Aravindh skillfully out-calculated his opponent, initiating a daring king-side assault and sacrificing two pawns strategically on the opposite flank. After 44 intense moves, Aravindh secured a crucial win, elevating him to the tournament lead with 2.5 points from three rounds.

Tournament Standings After Round 3​

Following this thrilling round, Praggnanandhaa shares second place alongside Germany’s Vincent Keymer, each holding two points. Keymer secured an important victory against American Grandmaster Sam Shankland, shaking up the standings further.

Sharing fourth place with 1.5 points each are:

• Quang Leim Le (Vietnam)
• David Navara (Czech Republic)
• Anish Giri (Netherlands)
• Sam Shankland (USA)

Surprisingly, tournament top seed Wei Yi currently finds himself at the bottom of the leaderboard with only 0.5 points, although six rounds remain in this highly competitive 10-player round-robin event.

Challengers’ Section: Divya Deshmukh Faces Setback​

In the Challengers' section, Indian hopeful Divya Deshmukh endured her second defeat, falling to Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev, who now leads with 2.5 points.

Round 3 Results:​

Masters:

• Sam Shankland (USA, 1.5) lost to Vincent Keymer (GER, 2)
• Aravindh Chithambaram (IND, 2.5) defeated Wei Yi (CHN, 0.5)
• Anish Giri (NED, 1.5) drew with David Navara (CZE, 1.5)
• R Praggnanandhaa (IND, 2) defeated Nguyen Thai Dai Van (CZE, 1)
• Quang Leim Le (VIE, 1.5) drew with Gurel Ediz (TUR, 1)

Challengers:

• Stamatis Kourkoulous-Arditis (GER, 1) drew with Vaclav Finek (CZE, 1.5)
• Ma Qun (CHN, 1.5) drew with Marc'andria Maurizzi (FRA, 1)
• Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB, 2.5) defeated Divya Deshmukh (IND, 1)
• Richard Stalmach (CZE, 0.5) lost to Jonas Buhl Bjerre (DEN, 2.5)
• Jachym Nemec (CZE, 1.5) defeated Ivan Salgado Lopez (ESP, 1.5)

The action resumes with the fourth round expected to bring further twists in this exciting tournament in Prague.