Chess: Praggnanandhaa Draws Again as Chithambaram Secures Victory Against Keymer at Prague Masters

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In the second round of the Prague Masters, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew again with Turkey's Gurel Ediz. Meanwhile, Aravindh Chithambaram defeated Germany's Vincent Keymer.

Chithambaram, who narrowly escaped defeat in his first game against Czech Grandmaster Nguyen Thai Dai Van, secured his first win with the black pieces. His victory was the only decisive result in the 10-player round-robin event, as other games ended in draws.

Chithambaram's win was reminiscent of Boris Spassky's aggressive style, coinciding with the day the world champion passed away. The Indian player capitalised on every opportunity to secure a win.

He challenged the conventional reputation of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted with black pieces by allowing white a dynamic centre. This strategic choice led to Chithambaram gaining a pawn advantage in the middle game and eventually forcing a queen trade to improve his position.

Chess Masters Standings

After two rounds, Chithambaram and Sam Shankland lead with 1.5 points each. They are followed by Anish Giri, Le Quang Leim, Nguyen Thai Dai Van, David Navara, Vincent Keymer, and Praggnanandhaa. Ediz and Wei Yi are at the bottom with half a point each from two games.

In another match, Dai Van drew with Sam Shankland from the United States. Top-seeded Wei Yi from China also drew with Dutchman Anish Giri, while Vietnam's Quang Leim Le shared points with Czech Republic's Navara David.

Praggnanandhaa demonstrated his versatility by choosing the French Defence, which resulted in an equal game against Ediz. Despite being evenly matched, Ediz showed why he is considered one of Europe's promising young talents. The players agreed to a draw after 46 moves when it became clear that neither could gain an advantage in the rook endgame.

Challengers' Section Highlights

In the challengers' section held concurrently, Divya Deshmukh achieved an impressive victory over Richard Stalmach from the Czech Republic. Her game showcased the strength of a king in endgames as she navigated between better and winning positions. Ultimately, Divya's two connected passed pawns and advancing king secured her win after 50 moves.

Round 2 Results

Masters

Challengers