Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa cruised to a smooth victory against Nguyen Thai Dai Van of Czech Republic, while Aravindh Chithambaram emerged as the sole leader, defeating top seed Wei Yi of China in the third round of the Prague Masters here. It was a commanding victory for Praggnanandhaa, widely regarded as the favourite to win this tournament.

Praggnanandhaa began with a Nizmo-Indian defence. The middle game surfaced with Dai Van being on the defensive despite his extra pawn, but the Indian managed to navigate the complexities with ease. Having played two successive draws in the first two rounds, it was an essential victory for Praggnanandhaa.