Indian chess prodigy checkmates Vietnam GM

In the first game, Praggnanandhaa shared points with Liem, then defeated him in the second game after 93 moves. Liem tried to equalize in the third match, playing white, but the Indian prodigy put out another impressive performance to win with an overall score of 2.5-0.5.

Le Quang Liem (L) plays Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in Oslo Esports Cup on April 25, 2022. Photo by Chess24

Praggnanandhaa, 16, has sprung a surprise at the Oslo Esports Cup this year, winning the first three rounds to top the table with nine points while Liem, after his very first win against chess king Magnus Carlsen Sunday, is fifth with three points. Liem’s fourth-round opponent will be Canadian GM Eric Hansen.

Praggnanandhaa became a grandmaster when he was just 12. One of his notable feats is beating chess king Carlsen in February this year, becoming the youngest player to do so.

Oslo Esports Cup is the first major event of the grand series Champions Chess Tour, which features eight grandmasters. Of these, four are among the world top 15. They will face each other in a round-robin format.

A player will get $2,500 for each point they earn and $7,500 for a win. The prize pool for this tournament is $210,000.

Each match is a set of four rapid chess games of 15 minutes each, with an additional 10 seconds for each move.