Baku (Azerbaijan): Young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh went down to world No.1 Magnus Carlsen in game one of their quarterfinal in the FIDE World Cup chess tournament here on Tuesday.
In another last eight clash, 19-year old GM Arjun Erigaisi pulled off a win in 53 moves over 18-year old GM R Praggnanandhaa to take a big step towards a spot in the semifinal. Carlsen took down the 17-year old Gukesh with black pieces showing his endgame mastery and gained the upperhand over the Indian prodigy. The Norwegian superstar is one draw away from the semifinals.
In the Praggu-Erigaisi match, a clash between two Indian prodigies, the latter came up trumps with black pieces. Vidit Gujrathi, the fourth Indian player in the quarterfinals, was playing home favourite Nijat Abasov in another match. Four Indians are featuring in the last eight of the World Cup for the first time with the Praggu-Erigaisi match-up ensuring one player from the country in the semifinals. Each match consists of two classical games followed by tie-breaks in the event of a 1-1 tie (in classical). (PTI)
