Chessable Masters final: Indian GM Praggnanandhaa loses to Ding Liren in tie-break
Chennai(PTI): Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa went down fighting to world No.2 Ding Liren in the tie-break of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters 2022 online tournament final early on Friday.
The 16-year-old from Chennai fought back to win the second set after having lost the opener. But then lost the two-game blitz tie-breaker.
The Indian GM, who had lost the first set 1.5-2.5, hit back to win the second 2.5-1.5 and force the blitz tie-break.
The 29-year old Liren used his experience to trump Praggnanandhaa in the second of the tie-break games. After the first blitz game ended in stalemate, the Chinese player won the next in 49 moves to dash the Indian teenager's hopes.
Earlier in the second set which he needed to win to force a tie-break, Praggnanandhaa got the all-important victory in the second game in 79 moves.
The next game saw the two dish out a 106-move draw before another stalemate meant the title would be decided by the tie-breaker.
After the final, the Indian prodigy's coach R B Ramesh praised his ward's efforts and wrote on Twitter: "Congratulations Ding for beating both Pragg AND the mosquitoes! Proud of you @rpragchess, showed good nerves and character overall in tough situations."
The Indian GM had defeated the highly-rated Dutchman Anish Giri in the semifinal to become the first Indian player to reach the final of a Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event.
He had beaten world No.1 Magnus Carlsen for a second time during the preliminary phase in which he finished fourth and got past Wei Yi of China in the quarterfinals.
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Rahul urges govt to take proactive measures to safeguard Indians
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday expressed concern over the escalating hostilities between Israel-US and Iran and urged the government of India to take immediate proactive steps to ensure the safety of all Indians in the middle east.
"The rapidly escalating hostilities between US-Israel and Iran are deeply concerning.
"The safety and security of every Indian citizen across the Middle East must be our highest priority," the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said in a post on X.
"I urge the Government of India to take immediate and proactive measures to safeguard our people," Gandhi also said.
The US and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday. Iran responded, targeting Israel with missiles and drones and also striking US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.
The rapidly escalating hostilities between US-Israel and Iran are deeply concerning.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 28, 2026
The safety and security of every Indian citizen across the Middle East must be our highest priority.
I urge the Government of India to take immediate and proactive measures to safeguard our…
