Prague Masters: R Praggnanandhaa draws with David Navara; Aravindh Chithambaram escapes against Nguyen Thai Dai Van

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa settled for a draw against Czech star David Navara, while compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram narrowly escaped with a half-point against local talent Nguyen Thai Dai Van in the opening round of the Prague Masters.

The biggest upset of the day came from German GM Vincent Keymer, who stunned top seed Wei Yi of China. Keymer, who was part of D Gukesh’s team during the World Championship, made an early statement in the tournament.

American Sam Shankland was the only other winner of the round, defeating Turkey’s Gurel Ediz. Meanwhile, the game between Vietnam’s Quang Leim Le and Dutch GM Anish Giri ended in a draw.

With their victories, Keymer and Shankland emerged as early leaders, with Shankland particularly impressing in his first-round performance against Ediz.

Praggnanandhaa, Aravindh, Giri, Le, Dai Van, and Navara are tied for third place with half a point each, while Wei Yi and Ediz will be eager to bounce back in the next round.

Praggnanandhaa, playing White, faced the Ragozin variation from a Queen’s Gambit Declined but found little opportunity to create winning chances in the middlegame. Navara’s timely pawn sacrifice equalized the position, and after a queen trade, the game transitioned into a theoretically drawn rook-and-pawn endgame. Despite an extra pawn, Praggnanandhaa pressed on until the end, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Aravindh, also with White, faced a resilient Dai Van, who continued to prove his recent Tata Steel Challengers triumph was no fluke. The Indian encountered little resistance from Dai Van’s Neo-Grünfeld setup, and after several exchanges, the game appeared to be heading toward a draw.

However, a blunder by Aravindh left him in a losing position. With just seconds remaining on his clock by the 70th move, Dai Van opted for safety and forced a draw through perpetual checks.

In the Challengers section, India’s sole representative, Divya Deshmukh, suffered a setback, losing to Spain’s Ivan Salgado Lopez.

Results round 1: Vincent Keymer (Ger) beat Wei Yi (Chn); Aravindh Chithambaram (Ind) drew with Nguyen Thai Dai Van (Cze); Sam Shankland (Usa) beat Gurel Ediz (Tur); R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) drew with David Navara (Cze); Le Quang Leim (Vie) drew with Anish Giri (Ned).