Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 17: Serbia’s Paracin Open ‘A’ chess competition was won by young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, who finished with 8 points after nine rounds.
The 16-year-old finished with a score of 0.5 points higher than the competition. Alisher Suleymenov and India’s AL Muthaiah, both of whom scored 7 points, were surpassed by Alexandr Predke, who finished in second place with 7.5 points. Due to a higher tie-break score, Suleymenov took third place.
Young Indian International Master V Pranav ended up with 6.5 points after a defeat at the hands of Predke in the final round. Indian GM Arjun Kalyan (6.5 points) settled for seventh place.
The Olympiad-bound Praggnanandhaa was in superb form, winning his first six games before Predke held on for a draw in round seven. He subsequently beat compatriot and fellow GM Arjun Kalyan in the eighth round before signing off with a draw against Alisher Suleymenov (Kazakhstan) in the ninth and final round.
The teenage GM also recorded wins over fellow Indian WGM Srija Seshadri, Lachezar Yordanov (Bulgaria), Kazybek Nogerbek (Kazakhstan), compatriot Koustav Chatterjee, Arystanbek Urazayev (Kazakhstan).
Praggnanandhaa, who had been seeded second in the competition after Predke, was on fire and quickly gained ground on the field before finishing half a point in front of a talented field.
The young prodigy will compete for a strong India “B” squad in the 44th Chess Olympiad, which begins on July 28 and will be hosted close to Chennai.
