The Paracin Open “A” chess competition 2022 was won on Saturday by young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, who finished with 8 points after nine rounds.
R Praggnanandhaa sweeps the Paracin Open
The 16-year-old ended with a score that put her half a point ahead of the competition and kept her perfect record. Alisher Suleymenov and India’s AL Muthaiah, who both scored 7 points, were surpassed by Alexandr Predke, who finished in second place with 7.5 points. Due to a higher tie-break result, Suleymenov took third place.
After suffering a loss against Predke in the decisive round, young Indian International Master V Pranav finished with 6.5 points. Arjun Kalyan, a GM from India, finished in seventh position with 6.5 points.
Praggnanandhaa, who was destined for the Olympics, was in excellent form, winning his first six games before Predke held on for a draw in round seven. Then, in the eighth round, he defeated fellow countryman and GM Arjun Kalyan before concluding with a draw in the ninth and final round against Alisher Suleymenov (Kazakhstan).
The young GM also defeated fellow Indian WGM Srija Seshadri, Lachezar Yordanov, Kazybek Nogerbek, Koustav Chatterjee, and Arystanbek Urazayev, among others (Kazakhstan).
Praggnanandhaa, who had been seeded second in the competition after Predke, was on fire and quickly gained ground on the field before finishing half a point in front of a talented field.
The young prodigy will compete for a strong India “B” squad in the 44th Chess Olympiad, which begins on July 28 and will be hosted close to Chennai.
Chess prodigy R Praggananandhaa achieved the international master title at age 10, making him the youngest person ever to do so, and the grandmaster title at age 12, making him the second-youngest person ever. He defeated Magnus Carlsen in a quick game in the Airthings Masters Rapid Chess Tournament on February 22, 2022, at the age of 16, making history as the youngest player to ever do so.