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Asian Continental 2022 R7: Praggnanandhaa grinds a 137-move marathon over six hours

by Shahid Ahmed - 02/11/2022

When someone plays against the world champion and beats him multiple times, something is bound to rub off him. R Praggnanandhaa has assimilated Carlsen's style of grinding in the endgame. Having a tiny spec of practical chances meant Pragg will push. That's what he did and eventually his opponent, GM Karthikeyan Murali crumbled after fatigue set in due to the course of over six hours of play and 137 moves long mentally and physically exhausting battle. GM Aravindh Chithambaram tried too hard to score a win against IM Koustav Chatterjee and it cost him dearly. Harsha, Praggnanandhaa, Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB) and Koustav are the four leaders 5.5/7. Among Women, Nandhidhaa maintains her sole lead 6/7, Priyanka Nutakki is close behind 5.5/7. Round 8 starts today at 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Koustav stuns Aravindh, Nandhidhaa still in sole lead

The Asian Continental Chess Championship 2022 witnessed the longest game of the tournament spanning for over six hours and 137 moves. One might fathom that the players would immediately retire to the room after it but they would be farthest from the truth. Even after such a long game, they analyzed it for another 30+ minutes. Yes that is the true passion for the game, one continues to learn and discuss about the game.

GM R Praggnanandhaa was standing tall after 137 moves and six hours of grueling battle | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

WGM Nandhidhaa P V maintains her sole lead, WGM Priyanka Nutakki has her eyes on the leader | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Open: Praggnanandhaa - Karthikeyan: 1-0

GM Karthikeyan Murali (2623) made an inaccuracy in the double rook and knight endgame against GM R Praggnanandhaa (2687).

Position after 40...a5

40...a5 turned out to be the critical mistake for Black. 40...Rd7 would have kept the game going 41.Rxd7 Nxd7 42.b4 a6 43.Ra3 Nb8 and it is not easy for White to make a progress. 40..a5 allowed 41.c6 which forced Black to give up an exchange to prevent the c-pawn from being promoted. The resultant double rook vs rook and knight had the possibilities of a draw for Black. However, the fatigue played a key role in Karthikeyan missing his chances to save the half point.

Position after 55.f3

The 91-move long endgame had a few opportunities for Black to save the day. One of the best ones was after 55.f3 Nc1 56.Re1 Rd2+ 57.Kg1 Nd3 58.Rf1gxh3. White cannot keep his rook on the second rank after 55...Nc1 as the knight will keep pinballing the rook until he leaves the rank to avoid repetition. Although Karthikeyan had over four minutes and Praggnanandhaa had merely 38 seconds left on the clock, this was the best opportunity Karthikeyan had to save the game in the double rook vs rook and knight endgame.

The longest game of Asian Continental 2022 - GM R Praggnanandhaa vs GM Karthikeyan Murali | Video: ChessBase India
Grandmasters are never too tired to analyze their game | Video: ChessBase India

GM R Praggnanandhaa has certainly learned from Carlsen, how to grind a relatively equal endgame and have a great endurance | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

GM S L Narayanan - GM Harsha Bharathakoti: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Sethuraman - Vokhidov: 0-1

GM Sethuraman S P (2645) made a positional mistake against the Olympiad Gold medalist GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB, 2568).

Position after 21.Nxb7

Vokhidov shared in a post-match interview that he found 19.Bc3 to be a strange move. After 19...Bxf3 20.gxf3 Bf4 21.Nxb7? turned out to be a significant mistake for White. 21...Rxe1+ 22.Rxe1 Qc8 23.Nc5 Qh3 gave Black a decisive advantage.

Olympiad Gold medalist GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov analyzes his win over GM Sethuraman | Video: ChessBase India

GM Sethuraman S P - GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB): 0-1 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Aravindh - Koustav: 0-1

GM Aravindh Chithambaram (2625) employed the Scotch Game which GM Harsha Bharathakoti did against IM Koustav Chatterjee (2496) in the fifth round and got him in trouble. However, this time Koustav came prepared and he was not going to make the same mistake. Aravindh did not play 6.e5, instead he deviated 6.Nd2. After 26 moves, the game liquidated into a balanced rook and bishop endgame. It seemed like the game is heading towards a draw.

Position after 53.Rf7

53.Rf7?? is what cost Aravindh the game. Sometimes the desire to win even in drawn position can cloud judgment which is what happened with White. Draw was the best result for either side, yet anyone trying too hard had to pay a heavy price for it. 53...Rf1 54.Ba5 Bd4 55.Rd7+ Ke4 56.Re7+ Kf5 Black sensibly shifted the king towards the kingside to prevent the advancement of the kingside pawns.

Position after 62...Kf5

White had one last chance to save the game after 62...Kf5. Can you find it? There is no deadly discover check here for Black, so 62...Kf5 is not as good as Black wanted it to be. A simple bishop retreat to d6 would have sufficed.

Sometimes pushing too hard can backfire | Video: ChessBase India
I was kind of scared and excited to play against GM Aravindh Chithambaram - IM Koustav Chatterjee | Video: ChessBase India

GM Aravindh Chithambaram - IM Koustav Chatterjee: 0-1 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Aditya Mittal - Abhimanyu: 0.5-0.5

GM-elect IM Aditya Mittal (2486) had a winning position against GM Abhimanyu Puranik (2603). He made a practical decision to reach the first time control by making 40 moves comfortably. The decision cost him the advantage and he had to settle for a draw instead.

Position after 35...Bxg4

36.Qg3 Be2 37.Nxf7+ Kg8 38.Rf5 was the beautiful finish for White. 38.Rf5 is what White missed, that's why he decided against Qg3 and opted 36.Qf4. It allowed Black to save the game 36...Bxh3 37.Nxf7+ Kg8 now the white queen itself is blocking the path of the f1-rook, moreover Black has few discover check ideas too.

I was completely winning, in time pressure I messed up very badly - IM Aditya Mittal | Video: ChessBase India

IM Aditya Mittal - GM Abhimanyu Puranik: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete - GM Shyam Sundar M: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

GM Rinat Jumabayev (KAZ) - IM Pranesh M: 0.5-0.5 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

IM Viani Antonio Dcunha - GM Sandipan Chanda: 1-0 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Women: Nandhidhaa - Padmini: 0.5-0.5

WGM Nandhidhaa P V (2309) was pressing for the better part of the game against IM Padmini Rout (2390).

Position after 30.cxb5

The above position certainly seems quite difficult to play for Black. However, Padmini provided staunch defense and traded pieces at the first opportunity she got. 30...axb5 31.Na1 Rd2 32.Rxb5 Qf6 33.Rd5 Rd8 34.Nb3 Qxf3 35.Bxf3 R8xd5 and Black is out of the woods. What White could have done was to try not to exchange pieces to maintain the tension.

Final moments: WGM Nandhidhaa PV vs IM Padmini Rout | Video: ChessBase India

WGM Nandhidhaa P V had a great opportunity to maintain her full point lead | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Nilufar - Priyanka: 0-1

WGM Nilufar Yakubbaeva (UZB, 2350) resigned after 21st move as she was feeling unwell. WGM Priyanka Nutakki (2326) earned the full point and reduced the gap with Nandhidhaa.

Final position after 21...Nd4

WGM Priyanka Nutakki stays in the hunt 5.5/7 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Rakshitta - Divya: 0-1

In a battle among the reigning National champions, National Women winner, WGM Divya Deshmukh (2338) prevailed over National Junior Girls winner WIM Rakshitta Ravi (2219).

Position after 16...c5

Rakshitta needed to take her chance and opt for the sharper 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.Qxe6+. She probably decided against it due to 17...Rfe8 which would have forced her to go 18.Nxg7 Kxg7 19.0-0. Instead, she chose 17.Nb3 Qb6 18.Qb5 Ba6 19.Qxb6 axb6 20.Bf1 Bf6 21.Bxa6 Rxa6 soon Black gained the a4-pawn and White had to resign as checkmate was inevitable.

WIM Rakshitta Ravi - WGM Divya Deshmukh: 0-1 | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

Soumya - Nisha: 1-0

IM Nisha Mohota (2181) got herself a substantial advantage in the middle game, thanks to her passed pawn at a4. IM Soumya Swaminathan (2326) showed her never-give-up attitude.

Position after 44...a4

Black's position is quite pleasant and keeping the a4-pawn alive ideally should be the primary goal. Practically it was not an easy task. Soon she decided to give it up to gain material and activity 45.Qg3 Rab6 46.Rea1 Rb2 47.Be2 a3 48.Bd1 Rxa2 49.Rxa2 Rb2 50.Rxa3 Rxd2 51.Bxd2 Bxd2 52.Qf2 Bb4. Black still had decisive advantage.

Position after 58.Bb5

Black can afford to give up the e8-bishop as the vulnerable white king can be exploited through back rank weakness. 58...Kg7 was needed to prevent Qxf6. Instead, 58...Qa8 was played which allowed White to go for a full point 59.Bxa8 Qa1+ 60.Kg2 Qb2 61.Kf3 Kg8 62.Bxf7+ Kf8 63.Qc8+ and the checkmate is unstoppable.

IM Nisha Mohota played fantastic chess for the better part of the game, however last minute mistakes cost her dearly | Photo: Shahid Ahmed

A total of 91 players including 31 GMs and 39 IMs in the Open, 49 players including 7 IMs, 14 WGMs and 17 WIMs in the Women, are taking part from 13 countries across the world including India. The nine-round Swiss League tournament will take place from 26th October to 3rd November 2022 at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi. It is organized by Delhi Chess Association. The time control of the tournament is 90 Minutes for 40 moves + 30 Minutes with increment of 30 second from move 1.

Replay Round 7 Open games

Replay Round 7 Women games

Round 7 Open results

Bo.No. NameFEDRtgPts.ResultPts.NameFEDRtg No.PGN
12
GMNarayanan.S.LIND2663½ - ½5GMHarsha BharathakotiIND2582
12PGN
21
GMPraggnanandhaa RIND26871 - 0GMKarthikeyan MuraliIND2623
7PGN
34
GMSethuraman S.P.IND26450 - 1GMVokhidov ShamsiddinUZB2568
13PGN
46
GMAravindh Chithambaram Vr.IND26250 - 1IMKoustav ChatterjeeIND2496
24PGN
510
GMAdhiban B.IND2603½ - ½IMAtabayev SaparmyratTKM2433
47PGN
632
GMAtabayev MaksatTKM2475½ - ½GMMendonca Leon LukeIND2558
15PGN
730
IMAditya MittalIND24864½ - ½4GMPuranik AbhimanyuIND2603
11PGN
835
GMRaja Rithvik RIND24704½ - ½4IMPranav VIND2530
17PGN
952
IMSammed Jaykumar SheteIND24084½ - ½4GMShyam Sundar M.IND2518
19PGN
1039
IMUrazayev ArystanbekKAZ245840 - 14GMKarthik VenkataramanIND2486
29PGN
118
GMJumabayev RinatKAZ2620½ - ½4IMPranesh MIND2442
43PGN
1253
IMAnuj ShrivatriIND24070 - 1GMSankalp GuptaIND2502
21PGN
1322
IMPranav AnandIND25021 - 0GMNeelotpal DasIND2400
56PGN
1449
IMNigmatov OrtikUZB2433½ - ½IMShyaamnikhil PIND2489
27PGN
1574
FMRitviz ParabIND23370 - 1IMVignesh N RIND2486
31PGN

Details

Round 8 Open pairings

Bo.No. NameFEDRtgPts.ResultPts.NameFEDRtg No.
124
IMKoustav ChatterjeeIND2496GMPraggnanandhaa RIND2687
1
213
GMVokhidov ShamsiddinUZB2568GMHarsha BharathakotiIND2582
12
347
IMAtabayev SaparmyratTKM243355GMNarayanan.S.LIND2663
2
415
GMMendonca Leon LukeIND255855GMAdhiban B.IND2603
10
529
GMKarthik VenkataramanIND248655GMAtabayev MaksatTKM2475
32
684
FMAyush SharmaIND2267GMSethuraman S.P.IND2645
4
731
IMVignesh N RIND2486GMAravindh Chithambaram Vr.IND2625
6
87
GMKarthikeyan MuraliIND2623IMPranav AnandIND2502
22
911
GMPuranik AbhimanyuIND2603GMRaja Rithvik RIND2470
35
1017
IMPranav VIND2530IMPranesh MIND2442
43
1119
GMShyam Sundar M.IND2518IMAditya MittalIND2486
30
1221
GMSankalp GuptaIND2502IMViani Antonio DcunhaIND2342
72
1327
IMShyaamnikhil PIND24894IMSammed Jaykumar SheteIND2408
52
1448
IMHarshavardhan G BIND243344GMJumabayev RinatKAZ2620
8
1523
GMSengupta DeepIND249744IMNigmatov OrtikUZB2433
49

Details

Round 7 Women results

Bo.No. NameFEDRtgPts.ResultPts.NameFEDRtg No.PGN
113
WGMNandhidhaa P VIND2309½ - ½IMPadmini RoutIND2390
3PGN
26
WGMYakubbaeva NilufarUZB235040 - 1WGMPriyanka NutakkiIND2326
11PGN
312
WGMGomes Mary AnnIND23244½ - ½4WGMVantika AgrawalIND2362
5PGN
421
WIMRakshitta RaviIND221940 - 14WGMDivya DeshmukhIND2338
7PGN
523
WGMNguyen Thi Mai HungVIE22174½ - ½4WGMVo Thi Kim PhungVIE2335
9PGN
610
IMSoumya SwaminathanIND232641 - 04IMMohota NishaIND2181
29PGN
71
IMTania SachdevIND2406½ - ½FMKurmangaliyeva LiyaKAZ2199
27PGN
816
WIMCholleti SahajasriIND22461 - 0WIMSalonika SainaIND2209
25PGN
928
WGMSrija SeshadriIND2187½ - ½WIMKairbekova AminaKAZ2231
19PGN
1026
WIMChitlange SakshiIND22080 - 1WGMKiran Manisha MohantyIND2030
41PGN

Details

Round 8 Women pairings

Bo.No. NameFEDRtgPts.ResultPts.NameFEDRtg No.
113
WGMNandhidhaa P VIND230965IMSoumya SwaminathanIND2326
10
211
WGMPriyanka NutakkiIND23265WGMDivya DeshmukhIND2338
7
33
IMPadmini RoutIND23905WGMGomes Mary AnnIND2324
12
45
WGMVantika AgrawalIND2362WGMKiran Manisha MohantyIND2030
41
59
WGMVo Thi Kim PhungVIE2335WIMCholleti SahajasriIND2246
16
623
WGMNguyen Thi Mai HungVIE22174WIMSharma IshaIND2234
18
729
IMMohota NishaIND218144IMTania SachdevIND2406
1
831
WIMAakanksha HagawaneIND216244IMNomin-Erdene DavaademberelMGL2404
2
98
IMKaravade EeshaIND233644WGMSrija SeshadriIND2187
28
1014
WGMEnkhtuul Altan-UlziiMGL229544WIMRakshitta RaviIND2219
21

Details

Links

Delhi Chess Association

Tournament Regulations