Aravindh pips Praggnanandhaa on tiebreak to win Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2025
Aravindh Chithambaram beat compatriot R. Praggnanandhaa on tiebreak to win the Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2025 tournament on Friday in Jermuk in Armenia.
In the final round, Aravindh - playing with black pieces - beat local player Aram Hakobyan. Praggnanandhaa beat Armenia's Robert Hovhannisyan with white pieces.
At the end of the round-robin stage consisting of 10 players in the classical event, both Indians were tied for the first place with 6.5. points apiece. Aravindh prevailed due to the Sonneborne-Berger, a tiebreak system which factors in the strength of opponents each player has defeated.
Aravindh ended up with $7,993 for finishing first while Praggnanandhaa won $4,770 for his second-place finish. Germany's Dmitrij Kollars secured the third place while American Sam Sevian finished fourth.
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