India’s R Praggnanandhaa emerged as the winner in the World Youth Chess Championship, claiming the coveted gold in the Under-18 Open category in Mumbai on Saturday.

The 14-year-old Grandmaster from Chennai etched out a cautious draw in the 11th and final round against Valentin Buckels (Germany) to top the charts with nine points. He, however, will have to thank compatriot International Master Arjun Kalyan for engineering a crucial draw against top seeded Shant Sargsyan (Armenia).

Praggnanandhaa would have been under pressure if GM Shant had won. But the Armenian couldn’t unravel a determined Arjun, allowing Praggnanandhaa to call truce and clinch the title.

The Championship ended on a high note for India, with six other medals, including three silver, coming their way. Only the Under-16 Girls category proved elusive for India, although BM Akshaya gave a good account of herself. Akshaya lost the medal to Anousha Mahdian, after suffering an unexpected defeat to her in the final round.

The country’s Under-14 Girls were the toast of the day, with Divya Deshmukh and Rakshitta Ravi bringing home two medals. Top seed WIM Divya, who seemed to be out of contention midway through the event, pulled off a well thought out victory in the last round to clinch the silver.

Rakshitta too beat overnight leader Bat-Erdene Mungunzul on the top board to earn the bronze. Kazakhstan’s Meruert Kamalidenova, however, was the star of this category, reeling off five straight wins to clinch the gold medal.