CHENNAI: Young gun R Praggnanandhaa got off to the best start possible in the battle of the prodigies as he sealed a first-match win over Alireza Firouzja in Round 1 of the FTX Crypto Cup in Miami on Monday. Praggu was able to capitalize on an error from Firouzja. Praggu followed up Firouzja's 21... c5 with 22. cxd5 and then 23. Rac1 to swing the encounter in his favour.
Grandmaster David Howell, commentating on the action for chess24, called it "a sign of true quality" before Praggu duly converted. Firouzja, however, hit back in the second game to level the score before building up a strong advantage in the third. Praggu looked lost but, incredibly, managed to turn it around in game 3 to register an improbable second win to go 2-1 up. In the final game, Praggu was able to close out the draw he needed to take the 3pts and continue his incredible form in Meltwater Champions Chess Tour events.
