Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and fellow Indian Aravindh Chithambaram played out a draw in the fifth round of the Prague Masters chess tournament, maintaining their lead with 3.5 points each. The duo remains a full point ahead of their closest challengers.
Trailing them with 2.5 points apiece are top seed Wei Yi of China, Anish Giri of the Netherlands, Quang Leim Le of Vietnam, and Vincent Keymer of Germany. The remaining four contestants—Czech players David Navara and Nguyen Thai Dai Van, Sam Shankland of the United States, and Gurel Ediz of Turkey—share the sixth spot in the standings.
With four more rounds remaining in the prestigious 10-player round-robin tournament, the competition remains intense.
Wei Yi Gains Momentum with Back-to-Back Wins
The fifth round saw only one decisive game, with Wei Yi capitalizing on his newfound form to defeat Shankland. The Chinese Grandmaster, who had a shaky start with two losses in his first three games, has now bounced back with two consecutive victories, having beaten Navara in the previous round. Shankland, playing with white, allowed a dangerous passed pawn on the queenside, leading to a swift defeat in just 27 moves.
Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Settle for Draw
Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh, facing off in their third classical game, once again settled for a draw. Playing black, Aravindh opted for the Berlin Defense—a well-known strategy first popularized by Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik against Garry Kasparov nearly 25 years ago. Praggnanandhaa chose to exchange pieces at regular intervals, leading to a balanced endgame.
Despite being a pawn down in a rook and pawn endgame, Aravindh had sufficient counterplay. As the position simplified, he sacrificed a second pawn, ensuring a theoretical draw by leaving no shelter for the white king.
Other Key Results in the Masters Section
Anish Giri played to a draw against Dai Van, while Navara managed to salvage half a point against Keymer despite facing a difficult position. Le and Gurel Ediz also signed the peace, resulting in a draw.
Challengers Section: Yakubboev Takes Lead
In the Challengers section, Divya Deshmukh suffered her third defeat in the tournament, losing to French Grandmaster Marc’Andria Maurizzi. Although she initially reached a balanced position, Maurizzi outplayed her in the endgame, leaving her with just 1.5 points.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev emerged as the sole leader in the section after defeating Jachym Nemec of the Czech Republic. Yakubboev now has four points from five games.
Tournament Rest Day and Upcoming Rounds
Monday serves as a rest day for both sections of the tournament. The battle for supremacy will resume on Tuesday as players prepare for the crucial final rounds.
