Prague Chess 2025: Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh to battle it out in Round 5 after taking lead with 3 points each

Indian Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram have emerged as the joint leaders at the 7th Prague International Chess Festival 2025 Masters after four rounds. Praggnanandhaa secured his second consecutive win of the tournament, defeating German GM Vincent Keymer with the black pieces, while Aravindh held a crucial draw in a pawn-down endgame against American GM Sam Shankland.

Praggnanandhaa shines against Keymer

After two draws in as many rounds, Praggnanandhaa has shifted gears with back-to-back victories. His latest win against Keymer came after a well-prepared response in the French Winawer Variation. Keymer, who had a strong record with 1.e4, chose 5.Bd2, a solid but less aggressive continuation in the French Winawer.

Despite Keymer gaining an early advantage, Praggnanandhaa’s awareness turned the tables. The critical moment came after 14.h6 gxh6 15.Rxh6 Rg8. Keymer’s push with h6 aimed to weaken Pragg’s kingside and create attacking chances. The Indian prodigy captured the pawn with gxh6, accepting a weakened kingside in return for potential counterplay. Keymer’s rook then moved to h6, seizing control of the open h-file for an attack.

However, Praggnanandhaa’s precise defense, including the move Rg8, challenged Keymar’s rook and prevented immediate threats. He then activated his light-squared bishop, which had previously been considered a ‘bad French bishop,’ and gradually took over key parts on the board, ultimately outplaying Keymer in the later stages.

Speaking about his performance, Praggnanandhaa said, “I didn’t think about all that (his loss against Keymar in Tata Steel Chess 2025). Vincent is very strong so winning a game against Vincent in any format on any day is good.”

Aravindh holds tough against Shankland

Aravindh Chithambaram maintained his unbeaten run in the tournament with a draw against Sam Shankland. The game saw Shankland pressing with an extra pawn in a rook endgame. However, Aravindh demonstrated excellent defensive technique, neutralising any real winning chances for his opponent and securing a half-point.

This result keeps Aravindh at the top of the table alongside Praggnanandhaa, setting up a blockbuster all-Indian showdown in round five.

Meanwhile, Indian International Master Divya Deshmukh held Chinese Grandmaster Ma Qun to a solid draw in their encounter on Saturday. Divya will defend with Black pieces against France’s Marc’Andria Maurizzi in Round 5.

All-Indian clash in Round 5

The upcoming clash between Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh will be crucial in determining the tournament leader before the rest day. Round five is scheduled for Sunday, 2 March at 7:30 PM IST.

Prague Chess Masters 2025 standings

Prague Chess Challengers 2025 standings