ERIGAISI POSTS 1ST WIN IN TOURNEY, PRAGGU LOSES

SAN FRANCISCO: Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi posted his first win while compatriot R Praggnanandhaa lost in the fourth round of the Meltwater Champions Tour Finals on Friday.

While Erigaisi beat Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 3-1 for his first victory in the tournament, Praggnanandhaa went down 1-2 to American GM Wesley So.

Meanwhile, world No 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway continued his imperious form to thrash Dutch GM Anish Giri 3-0 while Quang Liem Le (Vietnam) halted the winning run of Polish GM Jan-krzyszstof Duda, handing him a 3-1 loss.

Erigaisi, who had been struggling to hit form, showed his class with an impressive display against the experienced Mamedyarov. After a draw in the opening game, he went ahead by taking the second in 58 moves. The two players then shared honours in the third before the Indian outlasted the Azerbaijan opponent in 71 moves to score his first win.