Chess World Cup: Vidit Gujrathi plays out draw against Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda in first game of quarter-final

Sochi: Indian Grandmaster Vidit Santosh Gujrathi played out a draw against Jan-Krzystof Duda in the first game of the quarter-finals of the FIDE Chess World Cup, in Sochi on Wednesday. The 26-year old India No 3 played the Catalan closed variation against the Polish opponent and signed peace in 33 moves. It was a solid game by both players with Duda managing to easily neutralise the Indian’s first move advantage of the white pieces. Gujrathi tried his pet Catalan opening but Duda’s good preparation helped him secure a draw. “It was one of those boring Catalans, which you see from time to time. I don’t know exactly what I could have done better. The way I played in the game, it felt too easy for him,” he said after the drawn game. The second and final game of the match will be played on Thursday. This is the first time Gujrathi has reached the quarter-final of the World Cup. In another quarter-final, Vladimir Fedoseev (Russia) and M Amin Tabatabaei (Iran) drew their first game.