Chess World Cup: Praggnanandhaa survives Daniil Dubov scare

PANAJI: World No. 5 Praggnanandhaa R escaped from a negative position to earn a draw against Russia’s blitz king Daniil Dubov in their fourth-round opening game of the Chess World Cup in Goa on Tuesday.

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Just two of the 16 tables saw decisive results, with all five Indian GMs in the round of 32 settling for draws. India No. 1 and second seed Arjun Erigaisi, the experienced Harikrishna Pentala and underdog Karthik Venkataraman drew their games with black pieces in quick succession. The reigning world junior champion Pranav V tried many tricks against higher-ranked Uzbek GM Nodirbek Yakubboev, but the marathon battle between the two young Grandmasters ended in an 82-move draw.While Pranav played a lengthy four-hour, 21-minute contest, Arjun took just one hour and 20 moves to conclude his first-ever over-the-board meeting with Hungarian GM and commentator Peter Leko. Playing black, Arjun came up with a heavily prepared line in Sicilian Taimanov. His fifth move surprised Leko, and the Hungarian took almost 18 minutes to respond. Though the computer gave Leko a slight edge after pawns and a bishop were exchanged, the Hungarian feared walking into Arjun’s preparation and opted for a draw.

Leko’s German student Vincent Keymer also drew against Andrey Esipenko of Russia.The clash between Harikrishna and Swedish GM Nils Grandelius ended in a 32-move draw.For Karthik Venkataraman (2579 Elo), a solid draw with black against Vietnam’s top-ranked GM Le Quang Liem (2729 Elo) is a chance for the underdog when he returns with white on Wednesday. “He had a slight edge after the opening, but my defensive preparations paid dividends,” Karthik told TOI.The day’s most exciting game among the Indians was between Pragg (2771 Elo) and the 2018 world rapid champion Dubov. Early in the morning, the 29-year-old Dubov was seen playing a handful of blitz games with Indian GMs and commentators at the Resort Rio cafe bar. Within 10 hours, the 41st-ranked Russian GM held third seed Pragg to a 41-move draw while defending with black pieces.Pragg’s 39th move mistake gave him a lost position, while Dubov’s reply — sacrificing queen — gave the Indian GM the chance to bring parity. Two moves later, the draw was agreed.