Aravindh Chithambaram has been regarded as one of India's greatest talents ever since he won the 2013 Chennai Open at the age of 14 with a Tournament Performance Rating of 2728. But while players like Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh and Arjun gradually rose to the top of the world rankings and were able to establish themselves as elite GMs, Aravindh did not seem to be able to realise his potential for a long time.
Recently, however, things have been looking up for the 25-year-old, and at the Masters event in Prague he showed that he can also hold his own against the best players in the world.
Aravindh won a brilliant game with black against Anish Giri in round seven, which also left him as the sole leader with two rounds to go.
Anish Giri | Photo: Petr Vrabec
Entering into the seventh round, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Aravindh were sharing the lead. Pragg failed to convert a strong position into a win against Wei Yi.
Wei Yi | Photo: Petr Vrabec
Vincent Keymer was also unable to score a full point in an endgame with an extra pawn against David Navara.
Sam Shankland played for a win in almost every game of the tournament so far, but had little luck. Against Le Quang Liem, who suffered a blackout shortly after the opening, the US grandmaster scored an unexpectedly easy win with black in round seven.
Sam Shankland | Photo: Petr Vrabec
The tournament has not gone well for young Turkish grandmaster Ediz Gürel. But in round seven, he scored his first victory in the Master while playing white against Thai Dai Van Nguyen - and he did it in convincing fashion to boot.
Two rounds remain to be played at the Masters tournament in Prague, and it looks as if Aravindh and Praggnanandhaa will battle in a two-horse race for overall victory. Aravind has a 1½-point lead over the chasing pack, while Pragg stands a half point behind his compatriot.
Jonas Buhl Bjerre and Nodirbek Yakubboev are fighting for the tournament victory in the Challengers. Both co-leaders scored victories in round seven, over Ivan Salgado and Divya Deshmukh respectively, and are now 1½ points ahead of their closest rivals.
Jonas Buhl Bjerre | Photo: Petr Vrabec
