Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa moved into the joint lead at the prestigious Sinquefield Cup after scoring a masterful victory over France's Alireza Firouzja in the seventh round. The win, his second of the tournament after a series of draws, elevates the Indian prodigy to the top of the standings alongside American star Fabiano Caruana.
Praggnanandhaa completely outclassed his opponent in a game that lasted just 27 moves. Firouzja appeared to misjudge his position after the opening, and the Indian GM capitalized brilliantly. Praggnanandhaa seized the initiative with a powerful central attack, led by his two bishops, leaving Firouzja searching for tactical solutions that never materialized. The Frenchman eventually blundered in a lost endgame, handing Praggnanandhaa a crucial full point.
While one Indian star rose, the other faced a significant setback. World Champion D. Gukesh had a tough outing, as he was comprehensively outplayed by American GM Wesley So. Gukesh, playing with the black pieces, lost a pawn while attempting to create counter-play. So was relentless in his attack, and Gukesh’s position eventually crumbled, forcing him to resign and hurting his chances of winning the tournament.
After a dramatic day of chess, Praggnanandhaa and Caruana are tied for the lead with 4.5 points each. They are closely followed by Levon Aronian and Wesley So, who share third place on 4 points. The loss sees Gukesh drop down the leaderboard to 3 points, where he is tied with his opponent Firouzja.
The seventh round provided a thrilling shake-up to the tournament, with three decisive results after the previous two rounds had seen every single game end in a draw. This sudden burst of action, breaking a relative lull in the competition, has set the stage for a tense and exciting conclusion to the Grand Chess Tour event with just a few rounds left to play.
