R. Praggnanandhaa, a young Indian Grandmaster, added to his growing reputation as a future star by winning the Open A section of the 15th International Chess Open Paracin in the Serbian town of Paracin.
The 16-year-old Praggnanandhaa finished half a point ahead of his nearest rival, Alexandr Predke, a Russian player competing under the flag of FIDE, the sport’s world governing body, in the Open A section of the event.
Praggnanandhaa, the Grandmaster from Chennai, drew with Serbia’s Alisher Suleymenov in the ninth and final round on Saturday, while Predke defeated India’s V Pranav on the second board with white pieces to move up to 7.5 points. Suleymenov finished third with seven points, tied with India’s Al Muthaiah, who defeated Serbia’s Arystanbek Urazayev to gain seven points in the classical chess tournament.
Praggnanandhaa, who recently defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen in the Meltwater Champions Tour rapid chess tournament, remained unbeaten in the nine-round Swiss League tournament, winning seven games and drawing two.
V Pranav finished fifth among the other Indians after a tie on 8.5 points with seven other players, including compatriots Arjun Kalyan and Harshavardhan G B, both of whom finished in the top 10.
(Inputs from IANS)