GCT Grand Finale: R Praggnanandhaa Beats Vincent Keymer To Stake His Claim For Finals
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Vincent Keymer of Germany to take a 9-3 lead and move close to qualifying for the final of the concluding event of the Grand Chess Tour
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Vincent Keymer of Germany to take a 9-3 lead and move close to qualifying for the final of the concluding event of the Grand Chess Tour. It was a game of fluctuating fortunes, wherein Pragg suffered early as White, with Keymer in control and holding a legitimate chance to attack the White king out of a Bishop's Opening by the Indian. However, Caissa had other plans in store. Despite Pragg's early slips, Keymer fell for a tactical trick that cost him a rook for a knight, and the position turned in favour of the Indian, leaving him with an advanced passed pawn in addition to Black's trapped rook.
With both players running out of time, Keymer found a way to continue, but it was in the second time control that Pragg showed little leniency and came close to checkmating the king before Keymer resigned on his 55th move.
The victory meant that Pragg is now only six points away from making it to the final of the USD 450,000 tournament, wherein USD 200,000 is reserved for the winner.
There will be two more rapid games, in which four points are awarded for a win, and four blitz games that give two points for a victory. Normally, the 9-3 lead that Pragg has could prove to be the deciding factor in the mini-match.
In the other semifinal, Fabiano Caruana of the United States must be cursing his stars as he let a winning position slip out of his hands against compatriot Wesley So. Right from the beginning of a Berlin Defence, Caruana called the shots and showcased brilliant preparation that led to a huge advantage as the dust settled.
Wesley was outplayed right from the opening, but the fighter in him kept him afloat in a jungle of variations. Facing a massacre, the Filipino-born American decided to put up a brave front and capitalised on some judgmental errors by Caruana to reach a drawn king-and-pawns endgame. The game lasted 50 moves.
In the grand finale, a total of 28 points are at stake, and anyone who scores 15 points qualifies for the final, while the losing semifinalists will play each other to determine the third-place finisher.
The top three finishers will also get a direct invitation to next year's Grand Chess Tour, and the winner of this event will walk away with USD 200,000. The runner-up will earn USD 125,000, the third-placed finisher will take home USD 75,000, while the player finishing last will receive USD 50,000.
Results, Round 2 Classical: R Praggnanandhaa (India, 9) beat Vincent Keymer (Germany, 3); Fabiano Caruana (USA, 6) drew with Wesley So (USA, 6).