Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa got off to a flying start in the Candidates chess tournament, defeating Dutch GM Anish Giri in the first round.
On a day filled with exciting matches, World Cup champion Javokhir Sindarov used his tactical skills to outmaneuver Russian Andrey Esipenko, while Fabiano Caruana of the United States was close to beating fellow American Hikaru Nakamura.
In the women's section, Indian grandmaster Divya Deshmukh drew with Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine, while R Vaishali survived anxious moments before splitting the point with Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan.
Praggnanandhaa had been struggling in the past few months but bounced back in style with his win over Giri, who is known for his consistency and solidity.
The Indian grandmaster employed the Grand Prix attack to counter Giri's Sicilian defense, gaining a lead on the clock and eventually winning a pawn in the rook and minor pieces endgame.
Giri, running low on time, blundered to a lost rook and pawns endgame with a pawn less, making it easy for Praggnanandhaa to secure the win.
