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.
This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.

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.
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!
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
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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 b5? 36...c4 37.b4 Kc6 38.Ke3 Kd5 39.Bb2 b6-+ 37.Ke3? 37.b4! 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 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!? 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 Nc4+ 40.Ke2 Kxc5 41.f5 gxf5 42.gxf5 Kd5 43.Bf4 a5-+ 39...Nc4+ 40.Ke2 a5! 40...Nxd2?? 41.Kxd2 cxb4 42.cxb4 Kd4 43.Ke2! 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 gxf5 45.gxf5 Ke5 46.Bd2 Nc6-+ 44...Nc4 45.f5 gxf5 46.gxf5 Ke5 0–1
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
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Nihal Sarin | 2620 | Praggnanandhaa R | 2608 | 0–1 | 2021 | B50 | Gelfand Challenge | 6.9 |
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In over 4 hours in front of the camera, Karsten Müller presents to you sensations from the world of endgames - partly reaching far beyond standard techniques and rules of thumb - and rounds off with some cases of with own examples.
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.
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
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1.Nf3 d5 2.h3 c6 3.d4 Bf5 4.c4 e6 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.g4 6...Bg6N 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 7.Qb3 Qb6 8.c5 Qc7 9.Bf4! Qc8 9...Qxf4?! 10.Qxb7 Bxc5 11.Qxa8± 11.dxc5 0-0 10.Ne5 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 30.Qc3!= 30...Nb6 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= 32.Rxd8+ 32.Bxe4 Rxd1 33.Rxd1 Nb4 32...Rxd8 32.a3 Nc7 33.Bh2 33.g5 33...Qb5 34.Rd3 Qa4 35.Qxa4 Nxa4 36.Rc4 b5 36...Nb6± 37.Rcxd4 Nd7 37.Rxc6+- Re7 38.Rd1 Kb7 38...Nb6 39.b3 Kb8 39.e5 Nd5 40.Rd6 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
Praggnanandhaa R | 2608 | Keymer,V | 2591 | 1–0 | 2021 | | Gelfand Challenge | 9.1 |
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Standings after round 10
The aim of this course is to help you understand how to make tactical opportunities arise as well as to sharpen your tactical vision - these selected lectures will help to foster your overall tactical understanding.
All games
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
Please, wait...
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
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