GM Pranav Venkatesh added another feather in his cap in the first 3 0 Thursday tournament of the week, finishing with an undefeated 9.5/11 and outscoring no fewer than eight super-GMs. Wins over GMs Aravindh Chithambaram, Sergei Zhigalko, Hans Niemann, and Sina Movahed cemented his spot at the top, while the tournament’s other undefeated players, GMs Dmitry Andreikin and Matthias Bluebaum, had to settle for third and fourth.
In the second and third tournaments, GMs Parham Maghsoodloo and Jeffery Xiong claimed the top spot, with the former requiring tiebreaks to best GM Sergey Drygalov.
First Tournament: Super-GM Pranav Incoming?
Despite coming from a country overflowing with prodigious talent, Pranav has emerged as one of India’s brightest stars in recent years. Currently, he sits 45th in the world with a FIDE rating of 2670 after a string of elite performances, and it’s fair to predict that he might join the 2700 club in the future.
In the first tournament, Pranav started with 7/8, rising to equal first alongside Niemann, who participated alongside numerous other super-GMs including Hikaru Nakamura, Andreikin, Bluebaum, Xiong, Le Quang Liem, Aravindh, and Bogdan-Daniel Deac.
As early as round two, Pranav showed that he meant business when he left his knight en prise for three moves in a row against Brazilian GM Alexandr Fier.
Pranav and Niemann clashed in round nine and given that they both possess a penchant for aggressive chess, it was no surprise that the result was decisive. Pranav gain the upper hand early but missed a chance to consolidate his lead. Later, Niemann gave Pranav another opportunity to take control with 21…Be5? and this time, Pranav capitalized.
Pranav closed out the tournament with a draw with Deac, before turning the tables on Movahed in a time scramble. With nine wins and two losses to his name, Niemann had to settle for second place, while the top performing women’s player was IM Karina Ambartsumova.
Second Tournament: Maghsoodloo, Drygalov Bounce Back
Maghsoodloo’s road to victory in the second tournament was anything but smooth. In round six, a loss to Drygalov saw him slump to 4/6, which would have had many pundits counting him out.
Like a phoenix from the ashes though, the Iranian clawed his way back to the top with an inspiring 5/5 at the tail-end of the Swiss. Maghsoodloo bowled over previous winners and GMs Denis Lazavik and Oleksandr Bortnyk on the way.
With everything to play for in the final round, Maghsoodloo found himself on the brink of defeat against Uzbekistan’s IM Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov, however, he was saved by Suyarov’s nerve-induced blunder, 51.Rd8?.Â
With this victory, Maghsoodloo moved to 9/11 and into equal first alongside Drygalov. Given the latter defeated the former, it would be reasonable to assume that tiebreaks would favor Drygalov, however, a round one loss for the 27-year-old all-but sealed him the silver medal. Taking home bronze on tiebreaks was Suyarov, and WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn was the best women’s player.
Third Tournament: Xiong Bolts To Victory
It is extremely rare to see a player dominate a tournament in such a fashion that they can afford to lose the last two rounds and still guarantee at least equal first. Yet, that is the exact situation Xiong was in on Thursday.Â
Xiong kicked off the third tournament with three wins before drawing with Maghsoodloo and IM Renato Terry. Then, Xiong went on a four game tear, dispatching NM Shelev Oberoi, as well as GMs Aravindh, Alexey Sarana, and Vladimir Fedoseev.
Off the back of his comprehensive victory a week ago, Fedoseev came in with plenty of momentum, but was stunned by Xiong’s queen sacrifice in response to his deadly-looking 28…Rc3.Â
Earlier, Aravindh faced another of Xiong’s dramatic sacrifices which exposed his king and prompted his resignation four moves later.
In the penultimate round, GM Steven Zierk toppled Xiong in just 26 moves, though the leader would still only need a draw with White to secure clear first. When an opposite colored bishop endgame arose in Xiong-Le, Xiong’s victory crystallized.
Aravindh and Terry finished second and third respectively, while the women’s world number nine GM Tan Zhongyi finished 23rd and took out the top women’s prize.
3 0 Thursday features three tournaments every week for titled players. The events are on Thursday every week at 11 a.m., 4 p.m., and 9 p.m. ET / 17:00, 22:00, and 3 a.m. (+1) CEST / 9:30 p.m., 2:30 a.m. (+1), and 7:30 a.m. (+1) IST.