Pranav V wins Dubai Police Masters 2024, Aravindh second and Pranesh third

Indian players dominated the Dubai Police Masters Chess Tournament, with India's Pranav V emerging as the champion after a thrilling final round. Pranav secured the title with 7 points, edging out Aravindh Chithambaram in a tiebreaker based on the average rating of their opponents.

GM Pranesh M finished third earning

Indian dominance extended to the top 10, with five Indian players, including Pranav and Aravindh, making their mark. Pranesh M, Aditya Mittal, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Amin Tabatabaei, Neimann Hans Moke, Sargsyan Shant, and Eltaj Safarli all scored 6.5 points, but due to tiebreaks, they finished in 3rd to 9th positions. Visakh N R of India secured the tenth spot with the best tiebreak score of 6 points.

The final round in Dubai Police Masters was indeed exhilarating, unlike many other international tournaments where final rounds often conclude with several draws. The top 5 matches witnessed four victories and one draw.

On the first board, the match between Niemann Hans Moke and Aditya Mittal remained undecided, although it was a marathon battle. At one point, Aditya held a favorable position, but Niemann skillfully maneuvered to secure a lone Rook against Aditya's rook and Bishop. This resulted in a position where Niemann had to navigate the game towards a draw using precise technique. Ultimately, after 135 moves, Niemann compelled Aditya to agree to a draw, resulting in the points being evenly split in the match.

On the second board, Aravindh, who had played brilliantly throughout the tournament, faced the challenge of finishing with equal brilliance. Playing with the black pieces against Alexander Donchenko, Aravindh was met with a formidable opponent who was also striving for victory. The game saw an Kings Indian defense, with both players fiercely contending for dominance. In this match, Aravindh displayed superior skill and emerged victorious after 46 moves.

With this win, Aravindh concluded the tournament with a performance rating of 2779. Remaining undefeated, he added 11.2 points to his rating, elevating his live rating to 2683 points

and advancing 15 places to 50th in the world rankings. Among Indian players, he now holds the eighth position.

On the third board, Pranav V faced compatriot Abhimanyu Puranik. Playing with the white pieces, Pranav seized an advantageous position by surprising Abhimanyu in the opening stages of the match. Sustaining pressure on Abhimanyu throughout the game, Pranav emerged victorious after 42 moves, compelling Abhimanyu to concede defeat.

This win propelled Pranav to conclude the tournament with a performance rating of 2787. Additionally, he achieved a live rating of 2610, remaining undefeated throughout the competition. With this game, Pranav became the Champion of the Dubai Police Masters Chess, marking the most significant tournament victory thus far in his chess career.

One of the most anticipated matches of the tournament occurred on the fourth board between China's Yu Yangyi, the top seed, and Vasyl Ivanchuk of Ukraine, renowned as one of the world's greatest players. Despite Ivanchuk's rating potentially having decreased, he once again showcased his exceptional skills, proving that his game remains at a high standard. Responding brilliantly to Yangyi's attack in the Sicilian Opening with the black pieces, Ivanchuk demonstrated excellent defensive capabilities by centralizing his king. He skillfully navigated the game into a rook-knight endgame within approximately 30 moves. A critical error by Yangyi on the rook allowed Ivanchuk to seize control by capturing one of his pawns in the center, securing a favorable position that he maintained until the end. Ultimately, Ivanchuk emerged victorious after 57 moves, concluding the tournament in fifth place.

The success of any international tournament is also measured by how many people attain title norms in it. In this case, a total of 12 players achieved norms in the Dubai Police Masters, which is an excellent result.

P Shyam Nikhil becomes a Grandmaster

There was more good news for India in the tournament when after a long wait of 12 years, P Shyam Nikhil finally got his Grand Master title, Shyam finished 39th by scoring 5 points and achieved his third GM-norm. He had already achieved 2502 published rating 12 years ago.

Photo Gallery:-

Prize Function

Tournament Venue - The Dubai Officers Club

Prize List

Final standings

Details

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