Chessable Masters Finals: Ding wins first set

by Klaus Besenthal
5/26/2022 – The first set of the final match at the online Chessable Masters ended on Wednesday with a 2½-1½ victory by Ding Liren over Praggnanandhaa. It has been a busy few days for the 16-year-old Pragg: the Indian chess prodigy shuttles between tournament matches and school exams. A second match will be played on Thursday — a draw will then be enough for Ding to win the tournament.
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Ding takes the lead

Pragg was not as tired as some might have suspected, because after losing the first game of the match, he immediately levelled the score in the next encounter. In a complicated rook ending, however, there had initially been some fluctuations in positional evaluation. IM Zoran Petronijevic analysed the endgame:

 

Pragg was only able to enjoy the even score for a short time: Ding struck back in the third game, before securing victory in the match with a draw in the final fourth game. Pragg could console himself with the school exam: “It went well”, said the 16-year-old when asked about it. GM Karsten Müller shared his analysis of the third game:

 

First-set games

 

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Klaus Besenthal is computer scientist, has followed and still follows the chess scene avidly since 1972 and since then has also regularly played in tournaments.