R Praggananandhaa becomes sole winner of Reykjavik Open Chess Tournament 2022

In what can only be described as another feather in his increasingly illustrated cap, 16 year old Indian Grandmaster R Praggananandhaa has won the prestigious Reykjavik Open Chess Tournament. With his victory over compatriot Grandmaster D Gukesh in the ninth and final round, Praggananandhaa ended up with 7.5 points from 9 rounds, solidifying him as the sole winner of the tournament.

PRAGGANANDHAA ENDED UP WINNING A NEARLY LOST MATCH TO BECOME SOLE LEADER OF THE EVENT

Before the final round, three competitors were tied for the first position. Dutch national Max Warmerdamn, who was the sole leader at the end of the seventh round, had to settle for a draw against Iranian Grandmaster Idani Pouya, thus slightly damaging his chances of winning the event. While Warmerdamn had options open with a bishop pair, he decided not to lengthen the match.

Pragganandhaa, who sacrificed a piece early, and dominated from thereon, destroyed Matthieu Cornette to catch-up. Mads Andersen defeated Indian national Tania Sachdev to create a three-way lead at 6.5 points.

In the final round, Pragganandhaa was not at a comfortable position at all when Gukesh made a horrible blunder, paving the way for a win for the young Indian. With victory in a completely lost game, he ended up being the sole leader in the 2022 edition of the Reykjavik Open Chess Tournament. Mads Andersen, Max Warmerdam, Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson and fellow Indian Abhimanyu Mishra shared the second spot.

HE CREATED NATIONWIDE BUZZ IN FEBRUARY 2022 BY DEFEATING WORLD CHAMPION MAGNUS CARLSEN

The 16 year old Indian created nationwide buzz when he became the youngest player to defeat current World Champion Magnus Carlsen, a feat he achieved on 22nd February, 2022. He became the third Indian player – behind Vishwanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna –  to win a game against World Champion Magnus Carlsen in any time format.