Sinquefield Cup: R Praggnanandhaa takes joint lead with Fabiano Caruana; D Gukesh drops to bottom half

Indian Grandmaster (GM) R Praggnanandhaa produced a commanding performance to defeat Frenchman Alireza Firouzja in the seventh round of the Sinquefield Cup, part of the Grand Chess Tour, and climbed to joint first place. The victory, Praggnanandhaa’s second of the tournament after a run of draws, lifted him to 4.5 points alongside Fabiano Caruana of the United States. On the same day, world champion D Gukesh faltered against American Wesley So, slipping to the lower half of the standings. The round proved far more decisive than recent ones, with three of the five games producing results after two consecutive days of stalemates. Apart from Praggnanandhaa’s win and Gukesh’s loss, Poland’s Duda Jan-Krzysztof got the better of Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who continues to languish at the bottom. In his clash with Firouzja, Praggnanandhaa took control early. The Rossolimo line against the Sicilian backfired for the Frenchman, who misjudged the position in the transition to the middle game. The Indian star capitalised with precise moves, seizing the centre and unleashing the power of his Bishops. Alireza’s attempts to generate counterplay only led to errors, and the contest ended in just 27 moves after he blundered in a lost endgame. For Gukesh, the day turned grim. Playing Black, he opted for the Berlin Defence, but Wesley So avoided the typical endgame and kept pressing for an advantage. Gukesh gave up the Bishop pair and later lost a pawn while trying to generate activity. The American remained clinical, launching a kingside assault and forcing Gukesh to part with his queen for two minor pieces, sealing the result soon after. With three rounds to go, Caruana and Praggnanandhaa sit atop the leaderboard on 4.5 points. Wesley So and Levon Aronian follow closely with four points each. Duda, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Samuel Sevian share fifth place on 3.5. Gukesh and Firouzja are tied on three, while Abdusattorov is last with 1.5 points. The $375,000 (over ₹3.2 crore) event, featuring 10 elite players, is set for a tense finish as the battle for the title tightens.