An in-form R. Praggnanandhaa is perhaps the biggest threat to anyone in Classical chess right now. After winning the Tata Steel Masters, Superbet Chess Classic and Uzchess Cup in 2025, the India No.1 is showing his prowess at the ongoing Sinquefield Cup after claiming his second win in Saint Louis on Monday.
This time, Praggnanandhaa overwhelmed defending champion Alireza Firouzja in the seventh round to draw level with American Fabiano Caruana at the top of the table.
Playing with dark pieces, the Chennai lad went with the Rossolimo Sicilian game. After the 20th move, both players had less than 18 minutes on their clocks, meaning less than a minute per move for the next 20 moves till they reached the time control.
But Praggnanandhaa was in no mood to stretch the game that far. He dismantled Firouzja’s play in just 31 moves and the Frenchman dropped his weapons when he realised he couldn’t stop the checkmating threat from the Indian.
The win not only thrust Praggnanandhaa into the joint-lead of the tournament but also pushed him ahead in the qualification race for the 2025 Grand Chess Tour (GCT) finals.
“This (win) was important for sure, especially considering this tournament as well as for Brazil. We were the two players (fighting closely) for fourth spot,” Praggnanandhaa told broadcasters after the game.
American Wesley So, after drawing his first six matches, beat World Champion D. Gukesh with white pieces. In a crucial contest for both the event and tour standings, So outplayed Gukesh in 38 moves, which helped him get to four points. He now sits joint-second with compatriot Levon Aronian.
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So called beating Gukesh a big deal, saying “he calculates like a computer.”
“He’s very young, very strong. It’s always an honour to play him.”
Gukesh at 9th
Gukesh, who was one point behind the leader going into the seventh round, now finds himself in ninth place with three points, with his hopes of making the GCT finals practically dashed. He needed to win the event outright to have an outside chance, but now being 1.5 points behind the leaders with two rounds remaining, it may take a miracle.
Gukesh also slipped to World No.6 and is now behind compatriots Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi in the live ratings after losing his second match at this event.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
