Praggnanandhaa Escapes Disaster, Five Indians Draw in Chess World Cup
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The Chess World Cup in Goa witnessed a mix of excitement and relief on Tuesday as five Indian players, including world No.7 R Praggnanandhaa, managed to eke out draws in their classical matches. Praggnanandhaa, the runner-up from the 2023 World Cup, had a particularly eventful day, making several errors that could have cost him the match against Russian GM Daniil Dubov. In the first game of their fourth-round match, Praggnanandhaa pushed a pawn forward when a different move might have given him a better position. However, Dubov failed to capitalize on these mistakes, and Praggnanandhaa offered a draw on the 41st move, which the Russian accepted. Other Indian players also struggled with time pressure and fatigue, but managed to hold their ground. Arjun Erigaisi, India's No.1 and world No.6, played a quick draw against Peter Leko, while Harikrishna Pentala and Karthik Venkataraman agreed to draws after 32 and 36 moves respectively. However, Pranav V, the junior world champion, had a particularly tough match, facing Uzbekistan's Nordibek Yakubboev. Despite making a few mistakes, Pranav managed to hold on for a draw. Meanwhile, two other matches had decisive results, with Mexico's Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara winning against Serbia's Sarana Alexey, and Levon Aronian winning against Poland's Radoslaw Wojtaszek. The Chess World Cup is now at its halfway point, and five Indians are still active in the competition. The next round promises to be just as exciting, with several players vying for a spot in the knockout stage.
