Praggnanandhaa Wins Polgar Challenge Convincingly
GM Praggnanandhaa R won the Polgar Challenge, the first leg of the new Challengers Chess Tour. The 15-year-old Indian grandmaster finished 1.5 points ahead of the pack and qualified for the next leg of the Champions Chess Tour.
How to watch?
The games of the Polgar Challenge can be found here as part of our new events page.
FM Niranjan Navalgund's recap of Praggnanandhaa's best games.
Praggnanadhaa was leading halfway through the tournament and the situation hardly changed on Saturday: he was still half a point ahead of the 16-year-old Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov after 15 rounds.
That 15th round, however, was a dramatic one. The tournament leader suffered was what only his second loss against GM Vincent Keymer. The 16-year-old German grandmaster won an endgame that was quite similar to the classic ending GM Bobby Fischer vs. GM Mark Taimanov, fourth match game 1971.
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Positional Masterpieces GM Romain Edouard shows several positional masterpieces including the famous Fischer-Taimanov game! |
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Abdusattorov didn't profit though as he lost to GM Nihal Sarin, who thus helped his friend and compatriot to stay in the lead. It looks like the Uzbek grandmaster overpressed in the endgame:
Abdusattorov more or less lost his chances to win the tournament in round 17, when he blundered in what should have been a drawn position vs. 24-year-old Chinese GM Lei Tingjie:
Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa showed high-level play with great consistency over the full 19 rounds. He scored an attractive win against the 16-year-old Danish GM Jonas Buhl Bjerre in round 13.
IM Dinara Saduakassova sadly had to withdraw from the tournament after the second day because of internet problems. All her results were set to losses, including the three draws she had played.
Final standings
| # | Fed | Name | Rat | Perf | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | Pts |
| 1 | GM Praggnanandhaa | 2608 | 2766 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15½ | ||
| 2 | GM Abdusattorov | 2578 | 2688 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 3 | GM Gukesh | 2478 | 2693 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 4 | GM Nihal | 2627 | 2685 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 5 | IM Murzin | 2620 | 2686 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 6 | GM Keymer | 2591 | 2664 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13½ | ||
| 7 | GM Liang | 2592 | 2622 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12½ | ||
| 8 | IM Yoo | 2455 | 2609 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 9 | GM Mendonca | 2549 | 2604 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 10 | GM Bjerre | 2550 | 2548 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10½ | ||
| 11 | GM Lei | 2505 | 2531 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 12 | WGM Zhu | 2459 | 2533 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 13 | IM Salimova | 2397 | 2425 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 7 | ||
| 14 | IM Shuvalova | 2472 | 2402 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6½ | ||
| 15 | IM Abdumalik | 2476 | 2402 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6½ | ||
| 16 | IM Khademalsharieh | 2494 | 2358 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 5½ | ||
| 17 | IM Mammadzada | 2443 | 2361 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 5½ | ||
| 18 | IM Yip | 2430 | 2288 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 19 | IM Badelka | 2433 | 2227 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 20 | IM Saduakassova | 2500 | 1714 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
With his win, Praggnanandhaa earned the wildcard ticket for the next event in the Champions Chess Tour which starts April 24.
Congrats to @rpragchess .Proud to see four of my kids from the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy in the event. Prag dominated and showed his class. But now we have some work ,getting him ready for the big one!
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 11, 2021
One player shouldn't go unmentioned. Over 19 rounds, the 14-year-old Russian IM Volodar Murzin played only one draw and in rounds 9-19, he scored 10/11!
The 20 participants were not only playing individually. Half of the field formed a team with GM Vladimir Kramnik as their captain, while the other half played under GM Judit Polgar.
Halfway through the tournament, the score among these teams was exactly 50-50. In the end, Team Polgar won this first leg with 96.5 vs. 88.
All games days 3-4
The Polgar Challenge ran April 8-11, 2021. The time control was 10 minutes for each game with a five-second increment. The games were played on chess24. It was part of the Challengers Chess Tour that comprises four such tournaments followed by an eight-player final.
See also:
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