Gelfand Challenge: Pragg is back

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
6/12/2021 – Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who came from winning the first event of the Julius Baer Challengers Tour, did not have a strong first day in the Gelfand Challenge. However, an impressive streak of five straight wins on day 2 prompted him to the top of the standings, as he is currently sharing the lead on 8/10 points with Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Three players stand a full point behind with nine rounds to go. | Photo: Niklesh Jain

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Five out of five

For a second day in a row, one of the twenty young talents participating in the Gelfand Challenge scored a perfect 5 out of 5. While Awonder Liang had a perfect first day, it was Praggnanandhaa — the winner of the previous event of the tour — who won game after game on the second day of action.

Pragg is now sharing first place with Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who also performed well in the Polgar Challenge back in April. The Uzbek grandamster was, in fact, the only undefeated player after nine rounds, so had he kept his streak he would have finished the day in the sole lead — a loss against Gunay Mammadzada meant he is now tied with his even younger Indian colleague.

Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Pragg kicked off the day playing black against his compatriot Nihal Sarin. The younger Indian prodigy (Pragg is 15, Nihal is 16) was a pawn up in an endgame with knight versus bishop.

 
Nihal vs. Praggnanandhaa

Grandmaster Karsten Müller shows how tough it can be to convert these positions — and how tricky they can be from the defensive side as well!

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 dxe5 5.Nxe5 a6 6.g3 Qd6 7.Nc4 Qc6 8.Rg1 Bg4 9.Be2 h5 10.Ne3 Nbd7 11.f3 Bh3 12.f4 e5 13.Bf3 e4 14.Nxe4 Nxe4 15.d3 f5 16.dxe4 fxe4 17.Bxh5+ g6 18.Bg4 0-0-0 19.Bd2 Bg7 20.Bxh3 Rxh3 21.Qg4 Rxh2 22.0-0-0 Bd4 23.c3 Bxe3 24.Bxe3 Qa4 25.Rd2 Rxd2 26.Bxd2 Qxa2 27.Re1 Qd5 28.Be3 Qf5 29.Qe2 Nb6 30.g4 Qd5 31.Rd1 Qxd1+ 32.Qxd1 Rxd1+ 33.Kxd1 Nc4 34.Bc1 Kd7 35.b3 Nd6 36.Ke2 Fatal b-pawn advances The duel knight against bishop can be very deep. In the following Black has an extra pawn and is winning, but matters are complicated: b5? This natural move is the wrong way to start the mobilisation of the queenside majority. 36...c4 is called for, e.g. 37.b4 Kc6 38.Ke3 Kd5 39.Bb2 b6-+ 37.Ke3? This misplaces the king. The only salvation was the direct blow 37.b4! for example Kc6 38.Be3 cxb4 38...Nb7 39.f5 gxf5 40.gxf5 Kd5 41.f6 Ke6 42.bxc5 Kxf6 43.c6 Nd6 44.Bc5 Ke6 45.c7 Nc8 46.Ke3 Kd5 47.Bb4= 39.cxb4 Kd5 40.Bc5 Nc4 41.Bf8 e3 42.Kd3= 37...Ke6 38.b4 Now it is too late. But White is lost in any case, e.g. 38.Ba3 Kd5 39.f5 gxf5 40.g5 c4 41.g6 Ne8 42.bxc4+ Kxc4 43.Bb4 Kd5 44.Kf4 Ke6 45.Kg5 e3-+ 38...Kd5 39.Bd2?! 39.Ke2!? is more tenacious, but also does not defend, e.g. Ne8 40.Kf2 Nf6 41.Kg3 41.g5 Nh5 42.Ke3 Ng7 43.bxc5 Nf5+-+ 41...cxb4 42.cxb4 Kc4 43.Bd2 Kd3 44.Be1 Nd5 45.f5 g5 46.Bf2 e3 47.Be1 Ke2-+ 39.bxc5 is met by Nc4+ 40.Ke2 Kxc5 41.f5 gxf5 42.gxf5 Kd5 43.Bf4 a5-+ 39...Nc4+ 40.Ke2 a5! The mobilisation of Black's majority decides the day. Of course not 40...Nxd2?? due to 41.Kxd2 cxb4 42.cxb4 Kd4 43.Ke2! and White defends, e.g. e3 44.f5 gxf5 45.gxf5 Ke5 46.Kxe3 Kxf5 47.Kf3= 41.bxa5 Nxa5 42.Be3 b4 43.cxb4 cxb4 44.Bc1 44.f5 is met by gxf5 45.gxf5 Ke5 46.Bd2 Nc6-+ 44...Nc4 45.f5 gxf5 46.gxf5 Ke5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nihal Sarin2620Praggnanandhaa R26080–12021B50Gelfand Challenge6.9

The 15-year-old went on to beat Zhu Jiner and Leon Mendonca, before facing the ever-combative Vincent Keymer, who also came from winning three in a row. The German star could have become the one scoring a perfect score on day 2 had he found a provocative idea on move 30.

 
Praggnanandhaa vs. Keymer

White has two bishops pointing in the direction of the opposite king and two heavy pieces lined up on the c-file, but it is Black who can get his attack going first with 30...b5.

If White goes for 31.a3, preventing the knight from jumping to b4, there is 31...dxe4 when 32.Bxe4 is bad due to 32...Nb4 and White is lost.

After 31.exd5, Black simply plays 32...Nb4 with a winning position.

Bailing out with 31.Qc3 would at the very least give up a pawn.

None of this happened, though, as Keymer instead went for 30...Nb6 and after 31.Rhd1 d4 32.a3 Nc7 White is already in the driver’s seat.

 

Keymer had missed his chance to grab the initiative, and now the bishop pair proved to be stronger than the knight duo. Pragg scored a crucial 40-move victory.

 
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1.Nf3 d5 2.h3 c6 3.d4 Bf5 4.c4 e6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.g4
A06: Réti Opening: 1 Nf3 d5. 6...Bg6N Predecessor: 6...Be4 7.Bg2 h6 8.Bf4 Bd6 9.Bxd6 Qxd6 10.c5 Qc7 11.Nxe4 Nxe4 12.Ne5 Nxc5 13.Nxf7 Kxf7 14.dxc5 1-0 (57) Raeva,E (2143)-Jovkova Draganova,P (2046) Sofia 2003 7.Qb3 Qb6 8.c5 The position is equal. Qc7
9.Bf4! Qc8 9...Qxf4?! 10.Qxb7 Bxc5 11.Qxa8± 11.dxc5 0-0 10.Ne5 h4 is the strong threat. Nbd7 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Bg2 e5 13.dxe5 Nxc5 14.Qc2 Nfd7 15.Bg3 Ne6 16.f4 Qd8
16...Bc5= 17.e3 17.0-0-0!± 17...Bc5 18.Qe2 Qb6 19.f5 Nc7 20.Bf4 20.0-0-0= 20...g5 21.Bxg5 Nxe5 22.0-0-0 f6 23.Bf4 0-0-0 24.Na4 Qa5 25.Nxc5 Qxc5+ 26.Kb1 26.Qc2!? Qb6 27.Kb1= 26...Rhe8 27.Qc2 Nc4 28.Ka1
28.Rd3= 28...Na6! 29.Rc1 Qa5 29...Nb4 30.Qc3 Qb6 30.e4 White should try 30.Qc3!= 30...Nb6 Don't play 30...Nb4?! 31.Qb3 30...b5! 31.Qc3 Qxc3 32.Rxc3 d4 31.Rhd1 31.Bd2!? Qa4 32.Qxa4 Nxa4 33.exd5 31...d4 31...dxe4= keeps the balance. 32.Rxd8+ 32.Bxe4 Rxd1 33.Rxd1 Nb4 Double Attack 32...Rxd8 32.a3 White has strong initiative. Nc7 33.Bh2 White should play 33.g5 33...Qb5 34.Rd3 Qa4 35.Qxa4 Nxa4 36.Rc4 b5 Black cannot hold the game after this. 36...Nb6± was necessary. 37.Rcxd4 Nd7 37.Rxc6+- Re7 White is clearly winning. 38.Rd1 Kb7 38...Nb6 39.b3 Kb8 39.e5 Nd5 40.Rd6 Weighted Error Value: White=0.24/Black=0.41
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Praggnanandhaa R2608Keymer,V25911–02021Gelfand Challenge9.1

Standings after round 10

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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