Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands), Jan 24 (PTI) Indian Grandmaster Vidit Santhosh Gujrathi bounced back after a loss to beat Nils Grandelius in the eighth round while his compatriot R Praggnanandhaa continued to flounder, losing to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
Azerbaijan’s Mamedyarov’s win over Praggnanandhaa helped him join world no.1 Magnus Carlsen in the lead. The 16-year old Indian GM now has 2.5 points after eight rounds having suffered four defeats so far.
Gujrathi and Dutchman Anish Giri, with 5 points, are trailing the leader by a half-point after posting wins in round 8.
Grandelius opted for a sharp line against Gujrathi, luring his opponent into chasing Black’s knight. However, the Swedish player’s mistake on move 34 put an end to his resistance allowing his opponent to steal a full point.
Carlsen drew against Sam Shankland in 35 moves to remain in joint lead with 5.5 points.
Meanwhile, Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi continued to stay ahead of the field in the Challengers event, beating Jonas Buhal Bjerre of Denmark in the eighth round. He has 7 points and is 1.5 points ahead of the fied.
Erigaisi’s compatriot Surya Shekhar Ganguly slipped to ninth spot after a loss to Rinat Jumabayev (Kazakhstan).
Standings after Round 8 – Masters: 1-2. Маgnus Carlsen and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 5.5 points, 3-4. Vidit Gujrathi and Anish Giri 5, 5. Richard Rapport 4.5, 6-9. Sergey Karjakin, Fabiano Caruana, Jorden Van Foreest and Andrey Esipenko 4; 10-11. Sam Shankland and Jan-Krzysztof Duda 3.5, 12. Daniil Dubov 3; 13. R Praggnanandhaa 2.5, 14. Nils Grandelius 2. PTI SS APA APA
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