Indian chess maestros Nandhidhaa P V, Praggnanandhaa win 2022 Asian Continental Chess Championship
By winning all six medals available in the classical section of the current ongoing 2022 Asian Continental Chess Championship, the Indian chess team achieved a complete sweep of the podium.
At the Asian Continental Chess Championship on Thursday, top-seeded Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and fellow countryman P V Nandhidhaa won the title in the Open and women’s categories, respectively.
In the open division, Harsh Bharatakothi and B Adhiban came in second and third, respectively, while in the women’s division, Priyanka Nutakki and Divya Deshmukh came in second and third.
Great performance by Indian chess players at 2022 Asian Continental Chess Championship
In the ninth and final round, Praggnanandhaa and fellow countryman B Adhiban drew after 63 moves, giving him a decisive victory with seven points.
The Chennaiyan youngster held a 0.5-point advantage over the rest of the competition going into the final round. He resisted the challenge from the seasoned Adhiban and shared first place honours.
Praggnanandhaa’s victory also secured him a place in the next FIDE World Cup.
The four competitors who had a remote chance of winning the championship, S L Narayanan, Harsha Bharathakoti, Karthik Venkataraman, and Shamsiddin Vokhidov, were eliminated following drew matches.
Bharathakoti and Venkataraman were left with a half-point apiece as their game concluded in a tie, while Narayanan and Vokhidov were happy with a draw.
To join five other players on 6.5 points, GM S P Sethuraman beat IM Koustav Chatterjee in 41 moves.
Adhiban finished third, and Harsha Bharathakoti secured second place thanks to a stronger tie-break score.
Sethuraman, Venkataraman, Narayanan, and Vokhidov placed fourth through seventh, respectively.
WGM Nandhidhaa finished with 7.5 points in the women’s competition after drawing her ninth-round match against Divya Deshmukh.Through the nine rounds, the 26-year-old Tamil Nadu player was undefeated while winning six matches.
Priyanka Nutakki, Divya Deshmukh, and Thi Kim Phung Vo (Vietnam) tied for second place with 6.5 points each, but Nutakki won due to a superior tie-break.
Vo came in fourth, and Deshmukh took third.
Final Rankings: Open: 1. R Praggnanandhaa 7 points, 2. Harsha Bharathakoti 6.5, 3. B Adhiban 6.5 Women: 1. P V Nandhidhaa 7.5 points, 2. Priyanka Nutakki 6.5, 3. Divya Deshmukh 6.5
