Chess: ‘Pragg’ impresses in Prague ahead of Candidates’ battles

The men’s and women’s Candidates tournaments — after a few dicey visa issues for the Russian and Indian entrants — are set to begin less than a month from today in Toronto. At stake when the clocks start April 3 are the rights to challenge Chinese world champion Ding Liren and Chinese women’s world champ Ju Wenjun later this year.

On the men’s side, U.S. star and world No. 2 Fabiano Caruana has to be considered a favorite in the eight-grandmaster field, along with Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, winner of the last two Candidates’ tourneys.

But sometimes it comes down to who’s hot right now and that suggests we keep an eye on a young up-and-comer from India. GM Rameshbasu Praggnanandhaa, just 18, posted the best score of the three Indian candidate GMs playing in this month’s 6th Prague International Chess Festival in the Czech capital — rather fitting for a player usually referred to a “Pragg.”

Although he finished a full 1½ points behind tournament winner, Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Praggnanadhaa did manage to pin the only loss on the tournament victor, hanging tough on the Black side of an offbeat Ruy Lopez line before turning the tables on the Uzbek star.

Abdusattorov as White largely carries the play up through 30, Ne4 Qd3, but seems to lose the thread trying to turn a modest positional edge into something more: 31. Bxc5 Qxc4 32. Nd6?! (32 Bf3 Be5 33. Nxf6+ gxf6 34. Bg2 preserves White’s modest edge; the complications that follow play to Pragg’s strengths) Qb3 33. Bf3 h6 34. Bh5 Qd5 35. Bf3 Qb3 (see diagram) — now letting the b-pawn go looks scary but it is the way for White to maintain equality after 36. Be2 Qxb2 37. Bc4 Qxf2+ 38. Kxf2 Be6 39. Bxe6 fxe6 40. Bxb4.

Instead, White’s 36. Re2? has a tactical flaw which Pragg does not miss: 36…Rxd6! 37. Re8+ (Bxd6 Qd1+) Kh7 38. Bxd6 (now 38…Qd1+ is defended, but Black has a very neat alternative) Bd4!! 39. Qxd4 Qxf3, and the threat of instant mate forces White to cede two minor pieces for the rook: 40. Qf2 Qd1+ 41. Re1 Qxd6; Black’s material edge may seem modest, but rooks are typically outclassed in such positions and Abdusattorov has another long-term problem — defending that still-vulnerable b-pawn.

After 45. Qe3 Qxe3+ 46. Rxe3 b3, the queens are gone and the b-pawn is fixed and as weak as ever. Even without his king taking part, Black clinches things with 55. Rc4 Bc2 56. Kg3 Ne3, and White resigned as 57. Rb4 Nd1 58. Kf3 Nxb2 59. Ke2 Nd3 60. Rb7 b2 will cost him his rook.

—-

They’ve been at it since Victoria was queen and Gladstone was prime minister and, incredibly, Cambridge leads Oxford by a single point in the annual chess match between the two British schools.

The Oxonian squad closed the gap to 60-59 (with 23 ties) in the 142nd running of the Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Match, notching a 5–3 match win in London earlier this month.

English master Daniel Gallagher of Oxford scored a critical point over Cambridge expert Johann Williams in the match in a hard-fought King’s Indian Fianchetto line, with Black nursing a small positional edge into a winning endgame with a little help from an impatient white.
After 24. Rc1 Rc4, material is dead equal, but it feels like only Black has legitimate (if slight) winning chances based on his more active pieces and pressure down the c-file. Perhaps fearing a long-term squeeze, White finally puts a foot wrong on 29. Nd3 Nb5 30. Nb4?! (still equal was 30. h4 Qc3 31. Nc1 Qxb3 32. Nxb3) Nd4! 31. Qd3 Bb5 32. Qd2 Qc4, and White must give up bishop for knight in the face of the threat of 33…Nb3 34. Qe1 Bc3.

White puts his faith in a tricky opposite-colored bishop ending with 34. Nc6 Bf6 35. e5? (again, the slow 35. h4 Kg7, while still unpleasant, makes Black work much harder for the point) dxe5 36. d6 Bxc6 37. d7 Bxd7 38. Qxd7 Kg7 — Black’s two extra pawns are doubled, but even worse for White is the fact that his three remaining pawns are all on dark squares and can be attacked by the Black queen-bishop tandem.

Gallagher frees his bishop to enter the play with 41. h4 e6!, and makes steady progress as White marks time and bunches his forces in the kingside corner. The defense is decisively breached on 51. Kh1 f4 52. gxf4 (Qd2 was tougher, but Black should win in lines such as 52…fxg3 53. Qd8+ Kf7 54. Qd7+ Be7 55. Kg2 Qf5 56. fxg3 Qf3+ 57. Kg1 [Kh3 Qh1 mate] Qxg3+ 58. Bg2 e3) Qxf4 53. Qb2+ e5 (White is out of checks and his h-pawn is doomed; the end is nigh) 54. Qb8 Qxh4+ 55. Bh3 Qxh3+ 56. Kg1 Qg3+ 57. Kh2 Qf3+ (not falling for what may have been White’s last excuse for not resigning: 57…Qxf2?? 58. Qe5+! Kf7 59. Qe7+ Kg8 60. Qg7+! Kxg7 stalemate) 58. Kh2 Qxf2+ 59. Kh3 Qf1+, and Williams resigned just ahead of an unstoppable mate.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Abdusattorov-Praggnanandhaa, 6th Prague Masters 2024, Prague, Czech Republic, March 2024

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nge7 5. O-O Ng6 6. c3 d5 7. exd5 Qxd5 8. Bb3 Qd3 9. Bc2 Qd6 10. Re1 Be6 11. d4 Be7 12. Be3 exd4 13. Nxd4 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 O-O 15. Nd2 c5 16. Be3 Qc7 17. Qh5 Rad8 18. g3 Rd5 19. Qe2 b5 20. f4 Qc8 21. Be4 Rdd8 22. a4 Bg4 23. Qf2 Bf5 24. axb5 axb5 25. Bg2 Bh3 26. Bh1 b4 27. c4 Bf6 28. Ra8 Qd7 29. Rxd8 Rxd8 30. Ne4 Qd3 31. Bxc5 Qxc4 32. Nd6 Qb3 33. Bf3 h6 34. Bh5 Qd5 35. Bf3 Qb3 36. Re2 Rxd6 37. Re8+ Kh7 38. Bxd6 Bd4 39. Qxd4 Qxf3 40. Qf2 Qd1+ 41. Re1 Qxd6 42. Qe3 Be6 43. Re2 Ne7 44. Qe5 Qb6+ 45. Qe3 Qxe3+ 46. Rxe3 b3 47. Kf2 g6 48. g4 Kg7 49. h3 Kf6 50. Re4 h5 51. Kg3 Nd5 52. Kh4 hxg4 53. hxg4 Kg7 54. g5 Bf5 55. Rc4 Bc2 56. Kg3 Ne3 White resigns.

Williams-Gallagher, 142nd Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Match, London, March 2024

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. Nc3 Nc6 7. d5 Na5 8. Nd2 c5 9. O-O a6 10. Rb1 Rb8 11. a3 b5 12. cxb5 axb5 13. b4 cxb4 14. axb4 Nc4 15. Nxc4 bxc4 16. h3 Qc7 17. Qc2 Bd7 18. e4 Rb7 19. Bd2 Rfb8 20. Ne2 Qc8 21. Kh2 c3 22. Nxc3 Rxb4 23. Rxb4 Rxb4 24. Rc1 Rc4 25. Qb3 h5 26. Ne2 Rxc1 27. Nxc1 Ne8 28. Be3 Nc7 29. Nd3 Nb5 30. Nb4 Nd4 31. Qd3 Bb5 32. Qd2 Qc4 33. Bxd4 Bxd4 34. Nc6 Bf6 35. e5 dxe5 36. d6 Bxc6 37. d7 Bxd7 38. Qxd7 Kg7 39. Qd2 Qc5 40. Qe2 Qd4 41. h4 e6 42. Qe3 Qb2 43. Kg1 Bd8 44. Qe1 Bb6 45. Bf1 Qd4 46. Qe2 e4 47. Bg2 f5 48. Bf1 Kf6 49. Bg2 Bc5 50. Bf1 Qe5 51. Kh1 f4 52. gxf4 Qxf4 53. Qb2+ e5 54. Qb8 Qxh4+ 55. Bh3 Qxh3+ 56. Kg1 Qg3+ 57. Kh1 Qf3+ 58. Kh2 Qxf2+ 59. Kh3 Qf1+ White resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.