Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa blundered for the second day in a row, losing to Richard Rapport of Romania in the third round of the Prague Masters Chess tournament taking place in Prague. After briefly leading Viswanthan Anand and achieving top Indian status on the live ratings list, this double blow cost the Indian dearly, and now a lot of hard work remains in the final six rounds of the round-robin- match for 10 players. . It was a tragedy, because Praggnanandhaa was not the only one who spoiled his chances. Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattarov turned the tables on local star David Navara from an almost hopeless position as the latter failed to keep his nerve after reaching a winning position.
The all-Indian match between Vidit Gujrathi and D Gukesh ended in a stalemate, with neither player able to force matters, while Iran's sole leader Parham Maghsoodloo was held to a draw overnight by Germany's Vincent Keymer .
In the other match of the day, Nguyen Than Dai Van of the Czech Republic defeated Mateusz Bartel of Poland in a complicated endgame.
Meanwhile, in other news from Shenzen in China, Arjun Erigaisi becomes India's new number one by defeating Xiangyu Yu of China in the first round of the Shenzen Masters.
As things stand, Abdusattarov joined Maghsoodloo in the lead with 2.5 points from a possible three and the two are now followed by Gukesh and Rapport with 2 points each. Gujrathi is at fifth position with 1.5 points, half a point ahead of Praggnanandhaa, Navara, Dai Van and Keymer. Bartel is at the bottom of the table with only half a point.
It just wasn't Praggnanandhaa's day. The Indian did everything right except cross the finish line in his match against Rapport. The Hungarian-turned-Romanian is known for his uncompromising style and unusual openings. The King's Indian was no exception as Rapport chose something unusual at this level and Praggnanandhaa made quick progress in the center before launching an attack on the king's side.
Rapport looked quite lost at one point in the middle game but hung there until the Indian faltered. The game changed soon after as Rapport found a study-like defense and romped home.
Gukesh could not make much progress with his white pieces against Gujrathi from a Berlin defense game. Routine exchanges took place in the middle game and the players soon arrived at a small-piece endgame that was just equal.
Result round 3 (Indians unless otherwise stated): Vincent Keymer (Ger, 1) drew with Parham Maghsoodloo (Iri, 2.5); R Praggnanandhaa (1) lost to Richard Rapport (Rou, 2); Nodirbek Abdusattarov (Uzb, 2.5) defeated David Navara (Che, 1); Mateusz Bartel (Pol, 0.5) lost to Nguyen Thai Dai Van (Cze, 1); D Gukesh (2) drew with Vidit Gujrathi (1.5).
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