Asian Continental Chess Championship: India's R Praggnanandhaa and P V Nandhidhaa Win Titles

Digital Desk: Top-seeded Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and fellow P V Nandhidhaa won the Open and Women's divisions of the Asian Continental Chess Championship on Thursday in New Delhi. Praggnanandhaa tied with teammate B Adhiban in a 63-move game in the ninth and final round to win by seven points. 

The 17-year-old Chennai player entered the final round with a half-point advantage over the rest of the field. He held off the veteran Adhiban's challenge and shared the top prize with him.

Praggnanandhaa's victory also secured him a spot in the upcoming FIDE World Cup. 

Other players who had a chance at the title, including S L Narayanan, Harsha Bharathakoti, Karthik Venkataraman, and Shamsiddin Vokhidov, were eliminated following the drawn games. 

While Narayanan and Vokhidov were pleased with a draw, Bharathakoti and Venkataraman had to settle for a half-point each when their game ended in a tie. 

GM S P Sethuraman defeated IM Koustav Chatterjee in 41 moves to tie for first place with five other players on 6.5 points.

Harsha Bharathakoti finished second due to a higher tie-break score, while Adhiban finished third. 

Narayanan, Vokhidov, Sethuraman, and Venkataraman came in fourth through seventh place, respectively. 

WGM Nandhidhaa finished with 7.5 points after drawing her ninth-round match against Divya Deshmukh. The 26-year-old Tamil Nadu player was undefeated through nine rounds, winning six games. 

Priyanka Nutakki, Divya Deshmukh, and Thi Kim Phung Vo (Vietnam) all finished with 6.5 points, but Nutakki finished second due to a stronger tie-break. Deshmukh came in third, and Vo came in fourth.