With a stunning performance that attracted praise from the world’s elite, R. Praggnanandhaa destroyed American Christopher Yoo 3-0 to win the $40,000 Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour title on Sunday.
As in the previous two matches, Praggnanandhaa won with a game to spare in the best-of-four-game rapid encounters. In all, Praggnanandhaa scored a stupendous 8.5 from nine games. In fact, he could have finished with an astonishing 9/9 score had he not chosen to draw in a winning position against arch-rival Vincent Keymer in the semifinals.
Praggnanandhaa not only won $12,500 but also gained the right to play with the creamy layer of the chess world in the million-dollar Meltwater Champions Tour next year.
If World champion Magnus Carlsen was among the first ones to congratulate Praggnanandhaa on Twitter, former World champion Vladimir Kramnik and the strongest woman player in chess history, Judit Polgar, praised the 15-year-old from Chennai.
Kramnik said of Praggnanandhaa, “He reminds me so much of the young Vishy (Anand). Judit tweeted, “Absolutely brilliant play by Praggnanandhaa.”
The result: Final: R. Praggnanandhaa bt Christopher Yoo (USA) 3-0.
