Praggnanandhaa Beats Mishra To Finish Biel Chess In third Place

GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu bounced again from his loss the day earlier than to attain a convincing win over GM Abhimanyu Mishra and finish the 2024 Biel Chess Pageant in third place. GM Liem Le had wrapped up victory a day earlier, whereas Haik Martirosyan took second and Mishra needed to accept fourth, although the 15-year-old nonetheless had the second-best efficiency in classical chess. 

The rankings had already been determined within the Challengers with a day to spare, however second to fourth have been nonetheless up for grabs within the Masters. That is how they completed: 

Closing Standings: Masters And Challengers

Masters: Praggnanandhaa Hits Again, Martirosyan Takes Second

One recreation by no means appeared more likely to produce a decisive end result.

Martirosyan 1.5-1.5 Le

A day earlier, Le had clinched the Biel Chess title for a 3rd yr in a row. If he might win with Black—and that wasn’t out of the query since his earlier three classical wins had all include the black items, then he’d have the bragging rights of overtaking World Champion Ding Liren to maneuver to world quantity 15. However he additionally did not wish to spoil a near-perfect occasion:

I wished to get a recreation, but in addition I didn’t wish to take an excessive amount of threat, as a result of it wouldn’t be good to complete the match with a loss, and I believe within the final two years I all the time had one or two losses within the classical a part of the match, so this yr I believed if I might end the match with out dropping it will be good!

I believed if I might end the match with out dropping it will be good!

—Liem Le

Martirosyan, in the meantime, had thought that his draw within the penultimate spherical would give him an opportunity to struggle for the title within the final spherical. As a substitute, Le’s win over Praggnanandhaa meant the title had gone, whereas a draw within the final spherical would clinch him second place. That is why he had nothing in opposition to an eighth classical attract a row!

I used to be considering I’d do my finest within the final spherical, and if I beat him, I’ll end first, however he performed an excellent recreation yesterday and, sadly, I didn’t have an opportunity to win the match. That’s why I believed, OK, I’ve nonetheless loads of tournaments, it’s higher to maintain my power.

Martirosyan examined his opponent’s opening information, discovered it was stable, and by transfer 16 mentioned he’d already selected taking a draw. Le had no objections, and the sport fizzled out right into a 41-move draw. 

The opposite recreation within the Masters, nevertheless, was vastly extra fascinating.

Mishra 0-4 Praggnanandhaa

Every thing that had gone incorrect for top-seed Praggnanandhaa in Biel had begun within the first classical recreation, the place he misplayed a sacrificial assault and was confidently floor down by Mishra. The world quantity eight would go on to lose one other two classical video games, which means that each one that was left by the ultimate spherical was to attempt to regain some ranking and pleasure with a comfort win. That is simply what he received!

Mishra went for the Samisch with 3.f3 in opposition to Praggnanandhaa’s King’s Indian setup, and we have been in well-known concept till 6…Nfd7!? got here as a shocker. There are eight extra standard strikes (6…c5 has been performed over a thousand instances), whereas the transfer within the recreation had by no means been performed on the high degree. Had Mishra fallen into some leftover Candidates preparation?

The transfer puzzled the commentators in addition to Le and Martirosyan, with Le questioning what the plan was after 7.Be3.

We by no means received to see that since Mishra thought for 10 minutes and went for 7.Bg5, and shortly Praggnanandhaa was taking part in the sport in Benko Gambit type by sacrificing a pawn with b5 after which a6.

After 10.Qd2?! (the pc prefers 10.a4 or 10.Ng3) Black was in a position to take over.

10…Ne5! was a triumphant justification of the sooner knight transfer, and Black’s items went on to terrorize White’s military till it grew to become a matter of selecting probably the most environment friendly kill. 28…Rxc3 was solely the pc’s third selection, nevertheless it was completely ample.

Praggnanandhaa sacs an change as he appears to finish the #BielChess Masters with a win! https://t.co/F0mFSHBriq pic.twitter.com/asNPvjP8X1

— chess24 (@chess24com) July 25, 2024

By the ultimate levels, Mishra was taking part in on with a rook in opposition to a queen, and there have been echoes of their first recreation in Biel when a despondent Praggnanandhaa had performed on on the finish with a rook and a chunk down. Mishra did not drag issues out too lengthy, nevertheless, and resigned on transfer 45.

That win wasn’t sufficient to see Praggnanandhaa return to the highest 10, nevertheless it restricted the ranking harm to eight.4 factors and noticed him end in third place—he additionally received the Blitz and the Chess960, which might have been used as a tiebreaker if required.

Biel Masters Closing Standings Breakdown

As you possibly can see, regardless of that one loss, Mishra was the second-highest scorer in classical chess. He picked up 16.7 ranking factors and is three years youthful than anybody greater rated than him on the 2700chess junior ranking record.

Be careful for 13-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, nevertheless, with the Turkish GM-elect getting ready to smashing the file for the youngest participant ever to cross a 2600 ranking.  

Challengers: Salem And Donchenko Relaxation On Their Laurels

There was additionally one recreation remaining within the Challengers, however with all of the locations already decided there was little for the winner, GM Saleh Salem, to play for in opposition to the participant assured to take second place, GM Alexander Donchenko. A 6.Bg5 Najdorf Sicilian fizzled out after queens have been exchanged on transfer 12, leaving the ultimate standings as follows.

Biel Challengers Closing Standings Breakdown

The highest two placings have been deserved, with Salem profitable the Classical and Blitz, whereas Donchenko took the Fast and Chess960, however, regardless of two losses on the finish, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu‘s efficiency was arguably probably the most spectacular of the match. Her earlier run of three classical wins in a row noticed her finish with a 17.5-point Elo acquire to enter the 2500-club. 

And that is a wrap for Biel Chess 2024!  

The right way to rewatch?

The 2024 Biel Chess Pageant runs July 13-26 in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, and options over 20 particular person occasions. The primary ones are the six-player Masters and Challengers GM Triathlons the place the gamers compete in 5 rounds of Fast chess (2 factors for a win/1 for a draw), 5 rounds of Classical (4/1.5), and 10 rounds of Blitz (1/0.5). The highest 4 then play three extra rounds of Classical in opposition to one another, with colours reversed. Ties are settled by the standings of the Chess960 match held on the opening day.