Still unexplained
The hunt for the origins of Covid-19 has for the past four years been a tangled web of politics, power struggles, and international finger-pointing.
Indian teenager Praggnanandhaa landed a huge upset by defeating reigning World Champion Ding Liren of China in a fourth-round clash at the TATA Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee on Tuesday.
Praggnanandhaa’s victory also allowed him to pass five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as the nation’s best chess player in the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) live ratings.
Anand’s rating is 2748, while Praggnanandhaa’s is 2748.3. Every month at the beginning, FIDE releases the ratings that have been published.
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After Anand, Pragg was the second Indian player to beat the current world champion in classical chess.
The 18-year-old chess prodigy started with the advantage on the board because he was playing with black pieces. After three ties in the TATA Steel chess tournament this year, this was his first victory in four rounds.
Interestingly, on January 17, 2023, Praggnanandhaa also won against Ding at the same event using black pieces. Ding was World No. 2 at the time and getting ready for the Candidates Tournament.
After overcoming Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to win the world title last year, Ding is participating in a unique tournament at Wijk aan Zee.
In the meantime, Gukesh, who had defeated Anand to obtain India’s top ranking in the FIDE published ratings last year, lost his matchup with Anish Giri.
At the last minute, Gukesh had surpassed Anish to secure a spot among the candidates through the ratings system.
Jorden Van Foreest held Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, the third Indian participant, to a draw.
Giri’s victory has put him at the top of the standings going into the TATA Steel Masters chess tournament’s first rest day. Gukesh is ranked tenth, Vidit is ranked seventh, and Pragg is ranked third.
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