Indian Grandmasters D Gukesh and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi bowed out of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament after losing to Norwegian Magnus Carlsen and Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov respectively in Baku on Wednesday.
R Pragganandhaa, however, bounced back after losing the first game of the two-game classical series against fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi to force a tie-break, which will be played on Thursday to decide who advances to the last four.
The 17-year-old Gukesh, who had lost the first game on Tuesday, faced an uphill task against world No.1 Carlsen with black pieces. He managed to secure a draw in 59 moves but that was not enough as the Norwegian superstar moved ahead with a 1.5-0.5 margin.
In a must-win situation, 18-year-old Praggu, playing black against a confident Erigaisi, soaked in the pressure and prevailed in a 75-move game to level the match at 1-all.
In another quarterfinal, Gujrathi, who had earned a draw in the first game, lost the second to Azerbaijan's Abasov in 44 moves to crash out of the competition.
The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the Candidates event in 2024 to determine the challenger to current world champion Ding Liren of China.
