Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh secured a victory against Vincent Keymer of Germany, while his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa settled for a draw against Mateusz Bartel of Poland in the eighth round of the Prague Masters Chess tournament in Prague on March 7.
Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattarov extended his winning streak by defeating Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran, securing the tournament title with one round to spare.
Abdusattarov now holds six points, giving him an insurmountable lead of 1.5 points. His outstanding performance in the tournament has propelled him to fourth place in the world rankings.
Vidit draws against Richard in Prague Masters
Meanwhile, Vidit Gujrathi, another Indian participant, played to a draw with Richard Rapport of Romania.
With only one round left, Maghssodloo, Praggnanandhaa, and Nguyen Thai Dai Van of Czech Republic are tied for second place with 4.5 points each.
Local favourite David Navara, Rapport, and Gukesh have a 50% score with four points, leading by a full point over Keymer and Bartel. Gujrathi, with 2.5 points, currently sits at the bottom of the standings.
Gukesh starts strong
Gukesh adopted an aggressive approach right from the start in a Nimzo-Indian defence game playing as white.
Keymer found himself in a difficult position in the middle game after making a wrong pawn capture. This mistake led to a series of attacks by white pieces targeting the black king. Gukesh swiftly capitalised on the opportunity, wrapping up the game in just 27 moves.
Abdusattarov displayed great determination in defeating his closest competitor, Maghsoodloo. Playing as white, the Uzbek grandmaster made a bold decision to sacrifice his queen for a rook and minor piece. His judgement paid off as black struggled to cope with the pressure, resulting in a picturesque finish.
Praggnandhaa faced few opportunities against Bartel in a Sicilian Classical defence with black pieces. The Polish grandmaster strategically opened up the centre at the right moment and created threats on the black king's side through an exchange sacrifice. The game concluded in a draw through perpetual checks.
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