New Delhi: Indian Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, and P Harikrishna will battle it out in tie-breaks after their Round 4 matches ended in draws at the ongoing Chess World Cup on Wednesday. The trio remain India’s only contenders in the knockout event, each still in the running for one of the three coveted qualification spots for the Candidates Tournament.
Arjun Erigaisi maintained his composure against Hungarian veteran Peter Leko, while Praggnanandhaa settled for a draw against Daniil Dubov of FIDE. Harikrishna, meanwhile, had to work harder to secure a half-point against Nils Grandelius of Sweden, ensuring his place in the next day’s rapid tie-break stage.
It was a quieter day overall in the tournament, with several players opting for safety-first strategies. Levon Aronian of the United States and Jose Martinez Alcantara of Mexico confirmed their spots in the pre-quarterfinals after drawing their games against Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Alexey Sarana respectively, securing aggregate victories.
Elsewhere, India’s young hopes V Pranav and V Karthik bowed out after losing to Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan and Le Quang Liem of Vietnam. Their exits left only three Indian players still in contention as the World Cup enters its decisive stages.
The tie-breaks on Thursday will determine who among the remaining Indian Grandmasters progresses to the fifth round, where the battle for a place in the Candidates and a potential world title shot will intensify.
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