Praggnanandhaa Leads Polgar Challenge Halfway
After 10 of 19 rounds, GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu leads the Polgar Challenge, the first leg of the new Challengers Chess Tour. Competing in two teams are 20 young and talented players coached by GM Vladimir Kramnik and GM Judit Polgar.
How to watch?
The games of the Polgar Challenge can be found here as part of our new events page. Play starts daily at 16:00 CEST (7 a.m. Pacific, 10 a.m. Eastern).
Sponsored by the Swiss private banking corporation Julius Baer, the $100,000 Challengers Chess Tour is a small version of the Champions Chess Tour and focuses on young players. There will be four rapid tournaments in total, followed by an eight-player final.
There are 20 players, 10 male (under 18) and 10 female (under 25). Although the players compete individually in these round-robins, they are also representing "Team Kramnik" and "Team Polgar." The winning team will get to travel to Dubai in November for the 2021 World Championship match.
Teams & Players
| # | Fed | TEAM POLGAR | Age | Rating | # | Fed | TEAM KRAMNIK | Age | Rating |
| 1 | Nihal Sarin | 16 | 2620 | 1 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 16 | 2627 | ||
| 2 | Awonder Liang | 17 | 2592 | 2 | Praggnanandhaa | 15 | 2608 | ||
| 3 | Vincent Keymer | 16 | 2591 | 3 | Jonas Bjerre | 16 | 2550 | ||
| 4 | Gukesh D | 14 | 2578 | 4 | Leon Mendonca | 15 | 2549 | ||
| 5 | Sarasadat Khademalsharieh | 24 | 2494 | 5 | Lei Tingjie | 24 | 2505 | ||
| 6 | Volodar Murzin | 14 | 2478 | 6 | Dinara Saduakassova | 24 | 2500 | ||
| 7 | Polina Shuvalova | 20 | 2476 | 7 | Christopher Yoo | 14 | 2455 | ||
| 8 | Zhansaya Abdumalik | 21 | 2472 | 8 | Olga Badelka | 18 | 2433 | ||
| 9 | Zhu Jiner | 18 | 2459 | 9 | Carissa Yip | 17 | 2430 | ||
| 10 | Gunay Mammadzada | 20 | 2443 | 10 | Nurgyul Salimova | 17 | 2397 |
After 10 rounds, Praggnanandhaa leads with 8.5 points. He only lost in the very first round to 14-year-old Russian IM Volodar Murzin in a King's Indian. This author is happy to see that at least one of the champions of the new generation still has faith in this opening.
Among the players defeated by Pragg is his good friend and the top seed in the tournament, GM Nihal Sarin.
One of the tournament's best games is the following, at least in terms of esthetics. That final position is pure art:
Interestingly, after the first five rounds, the score between Team Kramnik and Team Polgar was tied and now, after 10 rounds, the score is still completely equal.
Polgar Challenge | Round 10 Standings
| # | Fed | Name | Rtg | Pts | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1 | Praggnanandhaa | 2608 | 2787 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8.5/10 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Abdusattorov | 2627 | 2756 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8.0/10 | 38.5 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Yoo | 2455 | 2745 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8.0/10 | 33.25 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Nihal | 2620 | 2656 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 7.0/10 | 33.25 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Gukesh | 2578 | 2675 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7.0/10 | 31.5 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Keymer | 2591 | 2584 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 6.0/10 | 24.75 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Liang | 2592 | 2582 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.0/10 | 23.25 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Lei | 2505 | 2567 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.0/10 | 20.75 | |||||||||||
| 9 | Murzin | 2478 | 2564 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 5.5/10 | 30.75 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Zhu | 2459 | 2540 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5.5/10 | 17 | |||||||||||
| 11 | Mendonca | 2549 | 2518 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 5.0/10 | 25.25 | |||||||||||
| 12 | Bjerre | 2550 | 2529 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 5.0/10 | 20 | |||||||||||
| 13 | Shuvalova | 2476 | 2486 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4.5/10 | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Salimova | 2397 | 2439 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 4.0/10 | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Abdumalik | 2472 | 2430 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 3.5/10 | ||||||||||||
| 16 | Mammadzada | 2443 | 2371 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 3.0/10 | ||||||||||||
| 17 | Yip | 2430 | 2311 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 2.5/10 | ||||||||||||
| 18 | Khademalsharieh | 2494 | 2282 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.0/10 | ||||||||||||
| 19 | Saduakassova | 2500 | 2203 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5/10 | 7.75 | |||||||||||
| 20 | Badelka | 2433 | 2196 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1.5/10 | 3.5 |
All games days 1-2
The Polgar Challenge runs April 8-11, 2021. The time control is 10 minutes for each game with a five-second increment. The games are played on chess24. It is part of the Challengers Chess Tour that comprises four such tournaments followed by an eight-player final.
Peter Doggers joined a chess club a month before turning 15 and still plays for it. He used to be an active tournament player and holds two IM norms.
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