Meltwater Champions Tour: Indian GMs Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi lose in opening round

While the 17-year old Praggnanandhaa went down 1.5-2.5 to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan, Erigasi lost to Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda 0.5-2.5.

Published : Nov 15, 2022 11:26 IST , NEW DELHI

FILE PHOTO: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa.
FILE PHOTO: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa. | Photo Credit: B Raj Velankanni/The Hindu
infoIcon

FILE PHOTO: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa. | Photo Credit: B Raj Velankanni/The Hindu

Arjun Erigaisi and R. Praggnanandhaa surrendered to higher-rated rivals in the opening round of the $210,000 Meltwaters Champions Chess Tour Finals on Monday.

Arjun tossed away a promising position in the opening game against Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda by two committing two blunders in quick successions to lose. The second game was drawn before Duda punished Arjun again with white pieces to win 2.5-0.5.

In contrast, Praggnanandhaa made a comeback after losing the first game to Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov by winning the third. But Mamedyarov gained control in the fourth game and won in 39 moves for a 2.5-1.5 verdict.

In the other two matches, Magnus Carlsen expectedly defeated Wesley So 2.5-1.5 and Anish Giri overpowered Liem Le 1.5-0.5 in the blitz games after their four-game rapid clash ended 2-2.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment