Prague Chess Masters: Aravindh Chithambaram one step away from title, R Praggnanandhaa in shut pursuit
&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Prague Chess Masters: Aravindh Chithambaram one step away from title, R Praggnanandhaa in shut pursuit")
Indian Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram is on the point of victory on the Prague Chess Masters 2025, needing only one remaining push to safe the title. In the meantime, fellow Indian GM R Praggnanandhaa stays in rivalry, preserving the title race aggressive.
learn extra
An Indian chess Grandmaster is inching in the direction of the title at Prague Chess Masters 2025 and it’s neither D Gukesh nor R Praggnanandhaa. The newest chess sensation to shine within the limelight is Madurai’s 25-year-old Aravindh Chithambaram, who’s now in sole lead on the prestigious event with only one extra spherical to go.
Aravindh Chithambaram was in joint lead with Praggnanandhaa until the tip of the sixth spherical, however his
victory over Dutch GM Anish Giri within the seventh spherical when the previous drew in opposition to Chinese language GM Wei Yi gave him a joint lead.
Aravindh Chithambaram maintained that lead on Thursday within the eighth and penultimate spherical by enjoying out a draw in opposition to David Navara of the Czech Republic. He now leads the standings by having half some extent greater than second-placed Praggnanandhaa, who drew in opposition to Vietnam’s Quang Liem Le within the eighth spherical.
Germany’s Vincent Keymer additionally drew in opposition to Turkish GM Ediz Gurel, whereas Wei Yi defeated Czech Republican Thai Dai Van Nguyen and Giri beat American Sam Shankland within the eighth spherical.
Recap of Aravindh and Praggnanandhaa’s matches
The Berlin protection is generally identified to get balanced endgames and this time too, Navara had little bother reaching an equal endgame.
A small oversight by each gamers at a crucial second briefly provided Aravindh an opportunity to push for victory, however the alternative slipped, and each gamers signed truce in 32 strikes.
Praggnanandhaa, enjoying White, opted for his pet Catalan opening in opposition to Le.
Nonetheless, the Vietnamese GM discovered enough counter play within the center sport by cornering the white queen.
Praggnanadhaa parted with a pawn for exercise however the ensuing place was solely adequate to repeat. The sport lasted 36 strikes.
Within the Challengers’ part, Divya Deshmukh drew with Czech participant Nemec Jychym however remained in final place with two factors.
In the meantime, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev regained sole lead with 6.5 factors after defeating Richard Stalmach.
Within the remaining spherical of Prague Chess Masters 2025 on Friday, Aravindh will tackle Ediz Gurel, whereas Praggnanandhaa faces a more durable take a look at in opposition to Giri.
Prague Chess Masters 2025 standings
| Rank | Title | Factors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aravindh Chithambaram | 5.5 |
| 2 | Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | 5 |
| 3 | Wei Yi | 4.5 |
| 4 | Vincent Keymer | 4 |
| 5 | Ediz Gurel | 4 |
| 6 | Anish Giri | 4 |
| 7 | Sam Shankland | 3.5 |
| 8 | Liem Le | 3.5 |
| 9 | David Navara | 3.5 |
| 10 | Thai Dai Van Nguyen | 2.5 |
Prague Chess Challengers 2025 standings
| Rank | Title | Factors |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nodirbek Yakubboev | 6.5 |
| 2 | Jonas Buhl Bjerre | 6 |
| 3 | Marc’Andria Maurizzi | 5 |
| 4 | Ma Qun | 4.5 |
| 5 | Ivan Salgado Lopez | 4 |
| 6 | Vaclav Finek | 3.5 |
| 7 | Richard Stalmach | 3 |
| 8 | Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis | 3 |
| 9 | Jachym Nemec | 2.5 |
| 10 | Divya Deshmukh | 2 |
With company inputs
