In an impressive feat, young Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious in both rapid games on Friday, paving his way into the last 16 of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament. Despite the initial two classical games concluding in draws, the recently turned 18-year-old Indian sensation, popularly referred to as Praggu by his admirers, took the chess world by storm as he outclassed second-seeded American GM, Hikaru Nakamura.
This significant win garnered attention from chess luminaries such as Viswanathan Anand, a revered five-time world champion hailing from India. An elated Anand celebrated the youngster's accomplishment, tweeting, “Praggnanandhaa does it! Eliminating one of the pre tournament favourites Hikaru Nakamura to go through to the next round. A truly impressive performance by Prag!”
The exciting developments didn't end there for India, as another young talent, D Gukesh, joined Praggnanandhaa in the last 16 by triumphing over Andrey Esipenko. Praggu's next challenge lies in confronting Hungarian Grandmaster Ferenc Berkes in the upcoming round of 16.
Contrastingly, Nihal Sarin faced a setback, unable to make a mark against Ian Nepomniachtchi in the fourth round tie-break games. Nevertheless, Indian players Vidit Gujrathi and Arjun Erigaisi had already clinched their spots in the last 16.
Shifting focus to the women's division, D Harika progressed by vanquishing Eline Roebers in the rapid tie-break. However, India's top-ranked women's player, Koneru Humpy, faced disappointment, succumbing to Bella Khotenashvili of Georgia. The tie-break games did not favor Humpy, especially after the initial classical series concluded in a draw for both competitors. Presently, Harika remains the sole Indian contender in the women's segment of the tournament.
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