Gukesh Triumphs, Firouzja Shines in Sinquefield Cup

St. Louis (USA), Aug 20 (PTI) - World champion D Gukesh rebounded from his opening round defeat with a stirring victory over former world rapid champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in the second round of the Sinquefield Cup. On a day when R Praggnanandhaa played a tactical draw with Fabiano Caruana of the United States, Alireza Firouzja of France delivered a masterclass in endgame strategy, overcoming Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland in the day's other decisive match. Praggnanandhaa, Aronian, and Firouzja now share the lead with 1.5 points each, with Gukesh joining Caruana, Wesley So, Sevian, and Vachier-Lagrave at joint fourth position.

Gukesh faced an open Sicilian favored by chess legend Viktor Korchnoi in the last century. Although no longer prevalent among elite players, Gukesh navigated the complexities of the opening admirably, eventually transitioning into a winning rook vs. knight endgame. Despite a couple of counter-attacks from Abdusattorov, Gukesh showcased an elegant conversion to secure the win.

Praggnanandhaa countered Fabiano Caruana's known Rossolimo Variation with precision. Although Caruana demonstrated his understanding of the pawn structure in the middle game, the game concluded in a draw as both players navigated the rook-and-minor-piece endgame efficiently.

Firouzja dominated his match with a formidable display of endgame prowess, ultimately corralling Duda's lone king with his bishop and knight combination.

Results from round 2: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 1.5) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 1); Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 1.5) beat Duda Jan Kryzstof (Pol, 0.5); Levon Aronian (USA, 1.5) drew with Samuel Sevian (USA, 1); Wesley So (USA, 1) drew with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 1); D Gukesh (Ind) beat Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb).

Opening Round Recap: Earlier in the tournament, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa triumphed over World Champion D Gukesh, rising to third in the live world rankings. With Aronian also clinching victory, the table was set for a thrilling competition. Other first-round highlights include Caruana's draw with Duda and Sevian's evenly matched game against Wesley So, alongside Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's draw with Alireza Firouzja.

Round 1 Results: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) beat D Gukesh (Ind); Fabiano Caruana (Usa) drew with Duda Jan Kryzstof (Pol); Samuel Savian (Usa) drew with Wesley So (Usa); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb) lost to Levon Aronian (Usa); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) drew with Alireza Firouzja (Fra).

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