St. Louis, Aug 26 (PTI) - R Praggnanandhaa, the Indian Grandmaster, claimed a convincing victory over French player Alireza Firouzja, propelling him to a shared leadership position after the seventh round of the Sinquefield Cup, an integral part of the Grand Chess Tour.
Praggnanandhaa's win, marking his second of the tournament following a series of draws, allowed him to join American Fabiano Caruana at the top of the leaderboard with 4.5 points. Meanwhile, world champion D Gukesh faced defeat at the hands of American Wesley So.
With Praggnanandhaa and Caruana leading, Levon Aronian and Wesley So are tied for third place, both with four points each. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and USA's Samuel Sevian occupy the fifth spot, each boasting a fifty percent score.
Tailing the leaders, Gukesh and Alireza stand at three points apiece, while Nodirbek Abdusattorov is positioned at the bottom with just 1.5 points. Following two rounds without a single decisive match, the seventh round of the 10-player, 375,000 USD prize money tournament delivered excitement, with three out of five matches yielding decisive results.
Both Alireza and Gukesh faced tough losses, while Nodirbek suffered his fourth defeat of the event against Duda. Praggnanandhaa demonstrated stellar form against Alireza, who seemed to overestimate his position post-opening play.
Employing the Rossolimo variation against the Sicilian defense, Alireza miscalculated early into the middle game. Praggnanandhaa capitalized by executing precise moves while capitalizing on his bishops, which effectively dominated the center of the board.
Alireza's search for tactical solutions proved futile, culminating in a blunder and an endgame loss after just 27 moves. In another clash, Gukesh opted for the Berlin Defense as black, but Wesley's approach to sidestep the traditional endgame yielded him a slight advantage.
Despite Gukesh's attempt to create counterplay, losing a pawn proved costly. Wesley capitalized by launching a successful kingside attack, eventually winning Gukesh's queen in exchange for two minor pieces, sealing the game.
Round 7 Results:
Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 3) lost to R Praggnanandhaa (IND, 4.5); Duda Jan-Krzysztof (POL, 3.5) defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB, 1.5); Wesley So (USA, 4) defeated D Gukesh (IND, 3); Fabiano Caruana (USA, 4.5) drew with Levon Aronian (USA, 4); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 3.5) drew with Samuel Sevian (USA, 3.5).
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