Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa drew his first-round match against Czech hero David Navara at the Prague Masters.
Compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram also managed a draw against local star Nguyen Thai Dai Van.
German Vincent Keymer delivered the first major upset of the tournament by defeating top seed Wei Yi of China. American Sam Shankland secured a win against Turkey’s Gurel Ediz. The game between Quang Leim Le of Vietnam and Anish Giri of Holland ended in a draw.
Keymer and Shankland emerged as early leaders after round one. Praggnanandhaa, Aravindh, Giri, Le, Dai Van, and Navara each share third place with half a point. Wei Yi and Ediz have yet to score and will look to open their accounts in the next round.
Praggnanandhaa’s game saw a balanced middle game, with Navara’s timely pawn sacrifice equalizing the position. After trading queens, the players reached a drawn rook and pawns endgame. Despite having an extra pawn, Praggnanandhaa could not secure a win.
Aravindh faced Dai Van’s Neo-Grunfeld defense and was put in a lost position after a blunder. However, with seconds remaining on the clock, Dai Van chose a safe draw through perpetual checks.
In the Challengers section, Divya Deshmukh, the lone girl and only Indian participant, lost to Spain’s Ivan Salgado Lopez.
