Pranesh M edged out the top-ranked Magnus Carlsen to clinch Chess.Com’s ‘Titled Tuesday’ crown earlier in the week to become only the fifth Indian to claim the coveted prize.
Pranesh finished level on 9.5
points with Carlsen, before the Indian got the better of the Norwegian with a first tie-break score of 77.5-73.5.
Both players managed the score, out of a possible 11, as they closed out a thrilling final round with Carlsen bettering Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi, while Pranesh got the win over Russian GM Alexander Grischuk.
Pranesh managed a string of seven wins on the bounce, including a fifth round win over Carlsen, in the weekly online tournament for titled players. The teenager’s run was halted by American GM Hans Niemann, who held Pranesh to a draw, before the winner eventually went down to Erigaisi in an all-Indian affair.
As many as five players were tied on points at the top heading into the final round as Pranesh, Carlsen, Erigaisi, Denis Lazavik and Vladislav Artemiev all had 8.5 points, but the final round proved to be decisive as only two remained on top after the conclusion of the final round of fixtures.
Pranesh joins GMs Arjun, Nihal Sarin, Pranav Venkatesh and Raunak Sadhwani among Indians who have won the Titled Tuesday event.
Hikaru Nakamura, an American GM and well-known chess streamer, is the most successful player in the history of the tournament with 91 wins, followed by Carlsen with 41 wins. Nihal is the most successful Indian player with 8 wins, while Pranav and Arjun hold second and third places among Indians with four and three wins respectively.
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