R Praggnanandhaa defeats legendary Viswanathan Anand, victory marks another remarkable moment for India's next generation

Young R Praggnanandhaa gave it all against his mentor Viswanathan Anand in the quarter-finals of the WR Masters tournament in London on Tuesday in what is yet another remarkable moment in a remarkable year for Indian chess.

The two classical matches that Anand and Praggnanandhaa played had ended in draws and the winner was decided via the Armageddon, which is used as a tie-break system to determine the winner of a contest.

Also see | When Viswanathan Anand labelled Praggnanandhaa as a 'new star'

Praggnanandhaa played the Armageddon round with white pieces, while Anand played with black pieces. The teenager had 10 minutes on the clock, whereas Anand had six. For Praggnandhaa, it was a do-or-die match given the fact that a draw in the Armageddon would have helped Anand advance to the semi-finals.

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Praggnanandhaa employed the Scotch opening against Anand, and soon asserted dominance in the game. He had his plans set to put Anand’s king in trouble, and used his rook and bishop to perfection. Anand was on the backfoot in terms of counterattack, and it wasn’t long before Praggnandhaa posed a threat to Anand with a check. The youngster completed a remarkable win over Anand in 26 moves.

Before Tuesday, Praggnanandhaa and Anand had faced off in the 2018 edition of the Tata Steel Chess India blitz tournament, in the sixth round. Back then, Praggnaandhaa, with the white pieces, had played some attacking moves against Anand’s king. But, a solid defensive display from Anand helped him emerge victorious. Anand went onto win the blitz title as well, beating Hikaru Nakamura in the playoff.

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Anand was still active in chess back in 2018, having only won the rapid chess title less than 12 months prior. India had approximately 54 grandmasters back then compared to 85 GMs at present.

Anand, who is only semi-retired, has played a pivotal role in developing India’s chess talent, mentoring the likes of Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh.

Praggnandhaa loses to Arjun Erigaisi

Praggnanandhaa, however, did not last long after his victory over Anand as it was curtains down for him in the semi-finals, where he lost to Arjun Erigaisi. Arjun won the first game, before drawing the next and clinch a 1.5-0.5 win over Praggnanandhaa.

Arjun played with white pieces whereas Praggnanandhaa played with black. Both of them were looking to play on the offense, before Arjun eventually outwitted Pragg. Pragg then played some aggressive chess in the second game, but Arjun was too strong for the youngster, and secured his place in the final without much trouble.