With 7.5 points after nine rounds, young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won the Norway Chess Group A open chess tournament. The top-seeded 16-year-old GM was in excellent form throughout the tournament, going undefeated through nine rounds. Late on Friday, he defeated fellow Indian V Praneeth, an International Master, to win the competition.
Second-placed IM Marsel Efroimski (Israel) and third-placed IM Jung Min Seo (South Korea) finished a full point clear of Praggnanandhaa (Elo 2642). (Sweden).
Praneeth finished joint third with six points but was placed sixth due to a lower tie-break score.
Praggnanandhaa defeated Victor Mikhalevski in round 8, Vitaly Kunin in round 6, Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov in round 4, Semen Mutusov in round 2, and Mathias Unneland in round 2. (round 1). His other three games were all draws.
In the Chessable Master online event, the Indian adolescent star beat world number one Magnus Carlsen for the second time and lost a close final to China’s Ding Liren.
The GM will compete in the open tournament of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai next month as part of the India B squad.
After the triumph, Praggnanandhaa’s coach, R B Ramesh, complimented him and stated it would help him gain confidence.
“I congratulate him on his victory. It’s no surprise that he won the competition because he was the top seed. He performed well overall, drawing three games with black pieces and winning the others. It will assist in boosting his self-assurance “Ramesh said.
Featured Image: Sports Desk
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