R Praggnanandhaa defeats Wei Yi of China to go to the semifinals of the Chessable Masters
(Twitter)
R Praggnanandhaa defeated Wei Yi of China 2.5-1.5 in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters 2022 online event quarterfinals. In the semifinals, 16-year-old Praggnanandhaa will face Anish Giri of the Netherlands, while Magnus Carlsen will face China's Ding Lirenin other semis.
In the second semifinal, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen will face China's Ding Liren. Giri and Carlsen defeated Norway's Aryan Tori and Spain's David Anton Gujjaro 2.5-0.5, respectively, in the quarterfinals, while Liren overcame Azerbaijan's Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2.5-1.5.
Late Monday, the youthful Indian prodigy started with a victory with black pieces in 90 moves in the quarterfinals versus Yi. He capitalized on his strong start by winning the second game of the four-game match, putting him ahead 2-0.
The Chinese superstar came back to win the third game of the series and cut the deficit in half. The Indian GM secured a spot in the semifinals with a draw in the fourth. Praggnanandhaa made waves previously in the preliminary round when he defeated Carlsen in the sixth round. After Anish, Carlsen, and Ding Liren, he finished fourth.
The remaining two Indian players in the 16-player field, P Harikrishna and Gujrathi, fell outside the top 8 and did not qualify for the knockout round.
