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In a thrilling display at the FIDE World Cup, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa took advantage of his opponent Hiraku Nakamura's early blunder during the initial 25-minute rapid game.
As a result, he secured the knight and gained a competitive advantage. Nakamura attempt to dominate the situation but collapsed as Praggnanandhaa skilfully navigated the challenges and turned out the winner in 33 moves.
Encountering a must-win situation, Nakamura returned to the board with black pieces. However, Praggnanandhaa's approach was promising, especially since he had just turned 18.
He applied pressure on his opponent Nakamura, being unfazed by his attempts in shorter time formats, and then strategically dismantled his opponent's queenside. It let him acquire a bishop, leaving his well-known rival deep in contemplation. Picking the right moves, Praggnanandhaa further added to Nakamura's frustration, letting him eventually succumb on the 41st move.
In another remarkable display in the FIDE World Cup, Gukesh D was extremely fortunate to get rid of a three-move checkmate sequence following his 40th move. He was facing off against Esipenko after a balanced struggle in the initial rapid game. Notably, the Russian player made a critical move next, which let Gukesh dominate and secure a compelling win after 53 moves.
Furthermore, in an opening rapid game versus Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nihal Sarin missed a big opportunity to win and settled for a draw. He eventually found himself running out of time, hence, in a losing state. Next, it was the Russian player to stand out showcasing brilliant performance in the subsequent match.
Harika Dronavalli wins against Eline Roebers, Koneru Humpy owns a dissimilar fate in FIDE World Cup
Clutching the chance with the black pieces in the following game of the FIDE World Cup, Dronavalli Harika registered a victory against Eline Roebers after the opener ended with a hard-fought draw.
Unluckily, Koneru Humpy, who had earlier defeated Bella Khotenashvili with the black pieces, could not carry on her success. She faced challenges early on and despite her grinds, the coercion from the Georgian player led to her downfall after 54 moves.
In the next round, battling with white objects, Humpy had a clear advantage around the 35th move. Yet, a misstep on the 40th move hurried her exclusion, which was completed just three moves thereon with an unavoidable one-move checkmate.
Humpy entered the ranks of casualties, sharing the fortune with the top-seeded world champion Ju Wenjun. Notably, Wenjun came across a 1.5-2.5 loss to Elisabeth Paehtz hailing from Germany.
Top seed Magnus Carlsen combated hard for a 3.5-2.5 win versus German prodigy Vincent Keymer. It set the stage for a face-off with Vassily Ivanchuk in the FIDE World Cup, who attained a similar victory win over Sanal Vahap of Turkey.
