R Praggnanandhaa loses to Richard Rapport in 3rd round of Prague Masters

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa committed an error for the second day in a row to suffer a defeat against Richard Rapport of Romania in the third round of the Prague Masters tournament underway in Prague, Czech Republic, on Friday.

This defeat will make things harder for Praggnanandhaa as he will have to work hard in the remaining six rounds of the 10-player round-robin contest.

Meanwhile, the all-Indian clash between Vidit Gujrathi and D Gukesh ended in a draw, with none able to force matters.

But Praggnandhaa was not the only one to concede their chances. Nodirbek Abdusattarov of Uzbekistan turned the tables on local star David Navara from a nearly hopeless position when the latter failed to keep his nerves under pressure after attaining a winning position.

On the other hand, in Shenzen, China, Arjun Erigaisi became the new India number one after he defeated Xiangyu Yu of China in the first round of the Shenzen Masters.

At the Prague Masters, Praggnanandhaa lost to Rapport at the last moment. The Hungarian-turned-Romanian, Rapport, is known for his uncompromising style and off-beat openings.

He looked quite lost at one point in the middle game but hung in there till the Indian faltered. After that, the game changed quickly as Rapport found some study-like defence and romped home.

Gukesh, meanwhile, could not find much break with his white pieces against Gujrathi.