New York: Teenage Grandmaster of India Arjun Erigasi reached the top with 17 points after eight rounds, while his compatriots R Pragyananand: second with 15 points Julius Baer Cup Here.
The much-awaited Pragyanand-Magnus Carlsen clash in the eighth round ended in a draw. The Indian had twice defeated the Norwegian ace in online matches earlier this season.
After the conclusion of the second day of opening matches on Tuesday, Arigasi are two points away from Pragyanandana and world champion Carlsen (15 points).
Arigasi started the day with a win over Hans Niemann (USA) and defeated Levon Aronian.
The all-India clash between Arigasi and Pragyananand ended in a 67-move draw. Later in the final eighth round of the day, he shared the honor with Ivan Saric of Croatia.
Pragyananand started the day with a draw against Radoslav Wojtczyk in the fifth round, before subduing high-ranked German Vincent Keimer in the next game.
17 year old Indian chess Star then held Carlsen to a draw in 67 moves.
Meanwhile, Carlsen resigned from his game against Niemann after only two moves. The world champion came into a sixth-round bout after losing to the 19-year-old American at the Sinckfield Cup in St. Louis, after he accused his opponent of cheating and was kicked out of the tournament.
Carlsen later won over Aronian in the seventh round before sharing the honor with Pragyanand.
Bhaskaran Adhiban, the third Indian in the fray, is last in the 16-player event with three points. He will face Pragyananand in the ninth round.
Veteran Ukrainian player Vasil Ivanchuk continued to impress and is fourth with 13 points.
The 53-year-old did not have a profitable time as on the first day but managed to end it with a win over Keimer. He had lost in the last two rounds to American teenager Christopher Yu and Poland’s Wojtszek.
After the completion of the preliminary round, the tournament will move to a knockout before a two-day final. The eight-day event will run till September 25 and will feature 16 players from three generations.
The much-awaited Pragyanand-Magnus Carlsen clash in the eighth round ended in a draw. The Indian had twice defeated the Norwegian ace in online matches earlier this season.
After the conclusion of the second day of opening matches on Tuesday, Arigasi are two points away from Pragyanandana and world champion Carlsen (15 points).
Arigasi started the day with a win over Hans Niemann (USA) and defeated Levon Aronian.
The all-India clash between Arigasi and Pragyananand ended in a 67-move draw. Later in the final eighth round of the day, he shared the honor with Ivan Saric of Croatia.
Pragyananand started the day with a draw against Radoslav Wojtczyk in the fifth round, before subduing high-ranked German Vincent Keimer in the next game.
17 year old Indian chess Star then held Carlsen to a draw in 67 moves.
Meanwhile, Carlsen resigned from his game against Niemann after only two moves. The world champion came into a sixth-round bout after losing to the 19-year-old American at the Sinckfield Cup in St. Louis, after he accused his opponent of cheating and was kicked out of the tournament.
Carlsen later won over Aronian in the seventh round before sharing the honor with Pragyanand.
Bhaskaran Adhiban, the third Indian in the fray, is last in the 16-player event with three points. He will face Pragyananand in the ninth round.
Veteran Ukrainian player Vasil Ivanchuk continued to impress and is fourth with 13 points.
The 53-year-old did not have a profitable time as on the first day but managed to end it with a win over Keimer. He had lost in the last two rounds to American teenager Christopher Yu and Poland’s Wojtszek.
After the completion of the preliminary round, the tournament will move to a knockout before a two-day final. The eight-day event will run till September 25 and will feature 16 players from three generations.