FTX Crypto Cup: Fab four for Praggnanandha

PTI

Miami, August 19

Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa handed world No. 6 Levon Aronian a 3-1 thrashing in the fourth round to notch up his fourth consecutive win in the FTX Crypto Cup, the American final of the Champions Chess Tour today.

The 17-year-old Indian is in joint lead with 12 match points along with world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who defeated Quang Liem Le of China 3-1.

Praggnanandhaa won the third game with the white pieces after the first two in the four-game match ended in a draw. First, he won with the white pieces to take a 2-1 lead after the third game and stormed to victory in 44 moves in the fourth to seal an emphatic win over the acclaimed American.

Having started his campaign with a victory over Alireza Firouzja, the Indian GM has subsequently beaten Anish Giri and Hans Niemann.

Carlsen also secured a similar victory, winning the third and fourth games after the first two were drawn.

Both of them have a four-point lead over Firouzja, the world No. 4 and the top-ranked junior.

Firouzja edged out Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda 2.5-1.5 in another fourth-round clash, while Dutchman Giri scored his first win in the tournament by beating Niemann by the same margin. Three more rounds remain to be played in the eight-player tournament. There is $7,500 at stake for each match win at the event.

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