Praggnanandhaa employed his pet Italian opening as white against Liren. Still, he was in for a surprise as the Chinese seized the initiative in the middle game with a timely control of the centre.

Praggnanandhaa was playing with white pieces and his victory pushed home favourite Carlsen to the fifth spot in the points table.

After an easy draw under normal time control, Praggnanadhaa got 10 minutes as white compared to Alireza's seven but with the condition that he had to win as a draw would have given black extra points.

Initiatives include state-of-the-art national chess arena for elite-level training and an AICF Rating system specifically for India, cash rewards of Rs 25 lakh to top five players, two-year contracts for national level U-7, U-19 players, financial help for state bodies and reservations for women in key areas