World Youth Chess Championship: Praggnanandhaa claims U-18 gold
What's the story
India's R Praggnanandhaa clinched the World Youth Chess Championship, claiming the coveted gold in the Under-18 Open category in Mumbai. The 14-year-old Grandmaster from Chennai managed a cautious draw in the 11th and final round against Valentin Buckels of Germany to top the charts with nine points. Here are the details about his title victory.
Results
Praggnanandhaa will need to thank Master Arjun Kalyan
The teenager will have to thank compatriot International Master Arjun Kalyan for engineering a crucial draw against top seed Shant Sargsyan of Armenia. Praggnanandhaa would have also been under pressure if GM Shant had won. But the Armenian couldn't get past a determined Arjun, allowing Praggnanandhaa to call truce and clinch the title. This is a crucial title for the 14-year-old Praggnanandhaa.
Achievement
Praggnanandhaa became the youngest Indian to achieve GM title
Earlier, Praggnanandhaa became the world's second-youngest Grandmaster as he achieved this feat at 12 years, 10 months and 13 days. Praggnanandhaa claimed the title after reaching the final round at the Gredine Open in Italy. He went on to beat Moroni Luca Jr in the eighth round and became the youngest Indian to achieve the GM title.
Medals
World Youth Chess Championship: Indians do well with medals aplenty
Meanwhile, the World Youth Chess Championship ended on a high note for India, with six other medals, including three silver, coming their way. India couldn't get success in the Under-16 Girls category. However, BM Akshaya gave a good account of herself. Akshaya lost the medal to Anousha Mahdian, after suffering an unexpected defeat to her in the final round.
Girls
Indian girls excel at the World Youth Chess Championship
The Under-14 Girls of India did well on the day, with Divya Deshmukh and Rakshitta Ravi bringing home two medals. Rakshitta overcame overnight leader Bat-Erdene Mungunzul to seal the bronze. Kazakhstan's Meruert Kamalidenova earned the gold in this category. Notably, FIDE Master LR Srihari (Under-14 Open) and Vantika Agrawal (Under-16 Girls) collected the country's other two silver medals.