It was a commanding victory for Praggnanandhaa, widely regarded as the favourite to win this tournament.
R Praggnanandhaa plots his next move during a chess tournament recently. Pic/Getty Images
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa cruised to a smooth victory against Nguyen Thai Dai Van of Czech Republic, while Aravindh Chithambaram emerged as the sole leader, defeating top seed Wei Yi of China in the third round of the Prague Masters here. It was a commanding victory for Praggnanandhaa, widely regarded as the favourite to win this tournament.
Praggnanandhaa began with a Nizmo-Indian defence. The middle game surfaced with Dai Van being on the defensive despite his extra pawn, but the Indian managed to navigate the complexities with ease. Having played two successive draws in the first two rounds, it was an essential victory for Praggnanandhaa.
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Aravindh in sole lead
While Praggnanandhaa scored his first win, compatriot Aravindh Chithamabaram beat Yi in a game that lasted 44 moves, taking him atop the table with 2.5 points. Praggnanandhaa sits in joint second place (2 pts).
Career-high No.3 ranking for D Gukesh
India’s reigning world champion D Gukesh climbed to a career-high No.3 in the latest FIDE classical ratings released on Saturday. Gukesh, 18, now has a rating of 2787. Magnus Carlsen (2833) tops the rankings.
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