FIDE World Cup | R Pragganandhaa still alive, Gukesh and Gujarathi ousted
On Wednesday, Indian Grandmasters D Gukesh and Vidit Gujarathi bowed out of the FIDE World Cup after losing to Norwegian Magnus Carlsen and Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov, respectively. On the other hand, R Pragganandhaa bounced back after losing the first game, against Arjun Erigaisi to force tie-break.
Gukesh faced a tough match against World no. 1 Magnus Carlsen but managed to secure a draw in 59 moves. Unfortunately, the Indian needed an outright win to be able to progress, but the Norwegian went ahead instead with a 1.5-0.5 margin.
Then it was the turn of Pragganandhaa to make a comeback in the tie against fellow Indian Erigasi. In 75 moves, he leveled the match. In another match, Gujarathi, who had shown tremendous game to draw the first game against Azerbaijan's Abasov, lost in the second match in only 44 moves, to bow out of the tournament.
The top three finishers here will qualify for the Candidates event in 2024, which will determine the challenger to world champion Ding Liren of China.
(With PTI inputs)