Julius Baer Challengers Chess- Praggnanandhaa wins Julius Baer Challengers title: Sixteen-year-old Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has won the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour finals after defeating Christopher Yoo of the USA.
Like 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. He could have finished with an astonishing 9/9 score had he not chosen to draw from a winning position against arch-rival Vincent Keymer in the semifinals.
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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 in 2022
“Indian GM & the youngest IM in history, @rpragchess 16, wins the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour Finals after defeating Christopher Yoo 3-0 With the win, he has secured a regular spot at next year’s @ChampChessTour. Many congratulations Champ!!” tweeted the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
*GM- Grandmaster
IM- International Master #Chess— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) October 18, 2021
Chess wizard Viswanathan Anand also took to his Twitter and congratulated Praggnanandhaa on his win. “Congrats! Was a very convincing performance. Really proud of your play,” tweeted Anand.
The Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour is a set of tournaments running alongside the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour and features some of the world’s most exciting young chess players. The players featuring in this tournament compete individually and also in teams.