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Indian Grandmaster Gukesh D lost in the 1st round of the FIDE Chess World Cup quarterfinal against Magnus Carlsen on Tuesday.
The World number one gained the upper hand over India's 17-year-old grandmaster with black pieces and is one win away from making the semifinals of the Chess World Cup. The Norwegian superstar took 48 moves to take down Gukesh, who started with a flurry.
Gukesh began well, and Carlsen was under a bit of pressure initially, but the World Number One proved his class once again and pulled things back soon. Both queens were gone by 17 moves of the play. Carlsen kept challenging Gukesh and managed his clock well.
Gukesh lost his way in the final moments of the match. His 35th move, where he moved his rook to a7, changed the momentum towards the Norwegian. Carlsen finished in 48 moves to take a big lead in the World Cup.
Gukesh must win with black pieces on Wednesday to make it to the semi-final. Carlsen needs just a draw to qualify for the semifinal of the Chess World Cup.
Arjun Erigaisi beats Praggnanandhaa; Vidit and Nijat agree to a draw
In the battle of Indian prodigies, Arjun Erigaisi defeated Praggnanandhaa in 53 moves to take the lead in the quarterfinal. The match was a nail-biter, as both players gave their best until the first 30 moves.
In the latter part of the game, Praggnanandhaa lost his way, but Arjun Erigaisi held his nerves to go 1-0 up in the quarterfinal.
Praggnanandhaa must win with black pieces on Wednesday to force a tie-breaker. Any result other than a win will knock Praggnanandhaa out of the World Cup.
Vidit Gujarathi, the fourth Indian in the World Cup quarterfinals, agreed to a draw against the home favourite Abasov Nijat. The marathon match lasted close to six hours and 109 moves. Both players will face once again on Wednesday.
The winner of the game will go through the semi-final of the Chess World Cup. If the game ends in a draw, a tie-breaker will decide the winner.
