 "R Pragggnandhaa registered his maiden win at the Prague Masters. Image: AP")
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on Friday registered his maiden win at the 7th Prague International Chess Festival 2025 Masters. The 19-year-old defeated Nguyen Thai Dai Van of Czech Republic in the third round of the tournament. Praggnanandhaa had played out two draws in the first two rounds . The win helped him move up to the World No. 7 in the Live Chess Ratings.
Praggnanandhaa registers maiden win in Prague
The game started with the Nimzo-Indian Defense, where Praggnanandhaa focused on controlling the center, while Nguyen looked for chances to attack on the kingside. However, the game took a decisive turn on move 14, when Nguyen played f5, trying to open up the position. Instead of helping him, this move backfired and gave Praggnanandhaa the upper hand.
Praggnanandhaa wasted no time in taking advantage of Nguyen’s mistake, immediately striking back and putting pressure on Black’s center. As Nguyen tried to counterattack, Praggnanandhaa completely took over the game.
Praggnanandhaa’s precise calculation and tactical awareness ensured that Nguyen had no real counterplay, and the Indian grandmaster remained in control throughout. Having drawn his first two rounds, this victory was an essential breakthrough for Praggnanandhaa.
“Yesterday was nothing in the first round I had a good position," Praggnanandhaa said about his performance in the event thus far.
Earlier, Praggnanandhaa had settled for a draw against Turkey’s Ediz Gruel in round two . In round one, he had registered a draw against local star David Navara. Thanks to his win in the third round, Praggnanandhaa has moved up to the second place in the Prague Masters standings.
Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram moved into the sole lead at the 2025 Prague Chess Festival Masters after defeating GM Wei Yi in round three. GM Vincent Keymer made a strong comeback from his previous loss by beating GM Sam Shankland, who had been sharing the lead.
Meanwhile, round three of the Challengers tournament saw Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev secure a victory against Indian IM Divya Deshmukh, who had previously defeated Czech IM Richard Stalmach in the last round.
Prague Chess Masters 2025 standings
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aravindh Chithambaram Vr. | 2.5 |
| 2 | Praggnanandhaa R | 2.0 |
| 3 | Vincent Keymer | 2.0 |
| 4 | David Navara | 1.5 |
| 5 | Le Quang Liem | 1.5 |
| 6 | Anish Giri | 1.5 |
| 7 | Sam Shankland | 1.5 |
| 8 | Nguyen Thai Dai Van | 1.0 |
| 9 | Ediz Gurel | 1.0 |
| 10 | Wei Yi | 0.5 |
Prague Chess Challengers 2025 standings
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nodirbek Yakubboev | 2.5 |
| 2 | Jonas Buhl Bjerre | 2.5 |
| 3 | Jachym Nemec | 2.0 |
| 4 | Ma Qun | 1.5 |
| 5 | Vaclav Finek | 1.5 |
| 6 | Ivan Salgado Lopez | 1.5 |
| 7 | Divya Deshmukh | 1.0 |
| 8 | Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis | 1.0 |
| 9 | Marc’Andria Maurizzi | 1.0 |
| 10 | Richard Stalmach | 0.5 |