New Delhi: Arjun Erigaisi (Elo rating 2773) and R Praggnanandhaa (2771) are the two highest rated players remaining in the competition but that doesn’t mean things are getting any easier for them in the FIDE World Cup in Goa.
Of the five Indian players in action on Day 2 of Round 4, Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa and Pentala Harikrishna held on to draws and will now play the tie-breaks. Pranav V and Karthik Venkatraman weren’t as lucky and their good run came to an end.
Most eyes were on Praggnanandhaa versus Daniil Dubov and Erigaisi against the experienced Peter Leko, but the games didn’t quite turn out to be potboilers.
On Tuesday, Praggnanandhaa and Dubov were at their most erratic. There were multiple blunders during the game but none were taken advantage of. Wednesday saw a completely different face as both players produced a very accurate game to earn a solid draw.
Dubov, a former World Rapid champion, won’t mind the tiebreak but Praggnanandhaa, who will play black in the first game, has raised his Rapid game too. It should be a fun battle.
Erigaisi, who was playing with white pieces, accepted a draw after 36 moves against Hungary’s Leko. It was once again a very solid game with neither player ceding any ground.
“I am getting more and more in my preparations and I wasn’t really afraid (of Arjun’s opening line). I knew that this b5 that I played is quite solid and there cannot be any miracle in this position. But over the board when Arjun is blitzing all his moves, I know that there is always some pressure. But it was more or less equal all the time,” said Leko after the match.
In the game between Harikrishna and Sweden’s Nils Grandelius, the Indian was under some pressure despite playing white but he kept it together and forced a draw in a bishop-pawn endgame.
Peruvian GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara, who won with black pieces on Tuesday, became the first to advance to the round of 16 after he went for a threefold repetition and took a draw against GM Alexey Sarana in 20 moves.
He will face the winner of the match between Harikrishna and Grandelius.
Also advancing to the next round was two-time champion GM Levon Aronian of USA after he drew the second game in 35 moves with black against Polish GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek.
India results (Round 4, Game 2)
GM Arjun Erigaisi drew with GM Peter Leko (HUN) (1:1 aggregate)
GM Daniil Dubov (FID) drew with GM R Praggnanandhaa (1:1 aggregate)
GM P Harikrishna drew with GM Nils Grandelius (SWE) (1:1 aggregate)
GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) beat GM Pranav V (1.5:0.5 aggregate)
GM Karthik Venkataraman lost to GM Le Quang Liem (VIE) (0.5:1.5 aggregate)
